The Turning Year

癒しと慰め、静寂が語かけるロジャー・イーノのソロ・アルバム。
《ロジャー・イーノ～ターニング・イヤー》

兄ブライアンのとの初のデュオ・アルバム『ミキシング・カラーズ』(2020)では作曲を担当、そのサウンドはコロナ禍において多くのリスナーの不安や孤独を癒し、大きな反響を呼んだ。
最近の曲とライヴで人気の曲を包括的に紹介する今回のソロ・アルバムは、ロジャー自身が弾くピアノ/キーボードと、ドイツの弦楽アンサンブル「スコーリング・ベルリン」による叙情的でメランコリックな作品集となっている。
シンプルでピュアなサウンドの可能性を拡げるロジャー・イーノの音楽は、心に直接響く優しくも力強いもので、それぞれの楽曲が独自のキャラクターを持ちながらも、どこか他の曲とも密接に関係している。

Roger Enos first solo album for German classical institution Deutsche Grammophon follows Mixing Colours, an impressionistic collaboration with his brother Brian, as well as its companion EP, Luminous. The pieces on The Turning Year, some of which have been a part of Enos live repertoire for a while, are simply described by the artist as short stories or photographs that are closely related to each other. The song titles point to themes of reflection and hope for the future, but there isnt an overarching common thread, the way the previous album consisted entirely of pieces named after colors. Likewise, the compositions are often piano-based, but not always, and theyre presented in various levels of intimacy, with some more atmospheric than others. Opener "A Place We Once Walked" focuses on slow, stately pianos, which become embellished with a deep wash of strings for a brief, grand moment. String-based selections like "Slow Motion" and "Hope," which is laced with wind-like reverb near the end, resemble neo-classical darkwave in the way theyre filled with both sorrow and beauty. The title track instantly feels familiar and welcome, with a commanding, affectionate piano melody accompanied by rich swells of strings. Other pieces like "On the Horizon" and "Something Made Out of Nothing" are frostier and more abstract, although "On the Horizon" rewards patience with a magnificent blooming of emotion. The album concludes with "Low Cloud Dark Skies," a perfect soundtrack for the observation of an ebbing tide. This masterful release contains some of the most immediately appealing work in Enos discography. ~ Paul Simpson