DAVID BYRNE & BRIAN ENO: EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS WILL HAPPEN TODAY

Pay strict attention to the order of names above the title. Unlike "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" this isn't an album from Brian Eno and David Byrne: it's an album instead by David Byrne and Brian Eno, a subtle distinction providing a clue to the style of music inside.

To its credit the new album doesn't pretend to be a belated sequel to the groundbreaking found music of their 1981 collaboration. It's more of a vehicle for Eno's tentative rediscovery of the pop-rock side of his personality he so rarely exposes anymore, filtered through the quirky post-New Wave, World Music sensibilities of Byrne.

Eno supposedly wrote all the music independently, with Byrne enlisted much later to add lyrics and vocals. As such the album often resembles an ill-fitted Frankenstein hybrid, forcing the cadence of Byrne's singing onto Eno's pre-existing instrumental tracks (it might have been interesting to hear the undoctored music without any words, perhaps as alternate bonus mixes).

At heart the music itself was never too unconventional, but it's all been dressed up in post- production to sound artfully offbeat, with the unorthodox assembly (the two never shared any studio time together, working strictly via e-mail instead) giving each song an attractive, lopsided charm. According to Byrne the aim was to find a modern electronic folk/gospel vibe, which would explain the occasional loping cowboy tempo, recalling such easygoing early Eno classics like "Here He Comes" and "On Some Faraway Beach".

But in the end the finished product is closer to Talking Heads than to "Here Come the Warm Jets", and the empty suburban images in the CD booklet likewise echo the idiosyncrasies of Byrne more than Eno. Fans of each artist should approach it accordingly.

Look for some familiar names (Phil Manzanera, Robert Wyatt) in small supporting roles.

After more than 25 years an unexpected rumor began circulating the Internet regarding a potential new collaboration album between Eno & Byrne. This was met with an enormous cheer by all the fans of the duos groundbreaking 1981-release which has considerably expanded its fan-base since the '80s.

Being a huge fan of My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts I didn't hesitate for a minute and pre-ordered the new album as soon as it became available. This strategy managed to backfire and resulted in a lesson that I carry with me to this day. Namely, be sure to listen to samples before actually buying an album! This was especially applicable in the case of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today since the entire album can be streamed from its official website.

Judging from my rating it can be assumed that I didn't find this album particularly appealing but I will restrain from any criticism connected to Brian Eno. I guess it would be difficult to complain about a Brian Eno album that in fact isn't really a Brian Eno album. Although Eno claims, in the video posted in the album's official website, that he has written most of the material it was David Byrne who contributed the lyrics and provided his vocals to the album. In order to do so all of the original demos had to be adjusted to fit with his vocal delivery. The final result of this editing is almost completely void of the famous Eno touch that has been so well established on all of his previous works.

This basically leaves us with just another David Byrne solo-album but with bland material that wouldn't really fit next to all of his previous releases. Having followed Byrne's solo career ever since Rei Momo I would personally rank this as his weakest offering to date. This material just doesn't fit him all that well and have it not been for a few minor exceptions to this statement I wouldn't hesitate of giving it the lowest rating.

As it stands today I can still imagine that Byrne's most dedicated fans might find some enjoyment in this album. As for Brian Eno, it has been a while since we've had an album featuring his compositions so even his fans might be slightly amused to hear some of these new compositions although they won't find more than a few hints of his touch scattered over a few performances here. It's a collectors/fans only release that I recommend streaming off the official website before actually considering a purchase!

**** star songs: Home (5:06) Poor Boy (4:19)

*** star songs: My Big Nurse (3:21) I Feel My Stuff (6:25) Everything That Happens (3:47) Life Is Long (3:46) Wanted For Life (5:06) One Fine Day (4:55) The Lighthouse (3:46)

** star songs: The River (2:31) Strange Overtones (4:17)