The Verge Playlist: Brian Eno

There was a New Yorker article, published over the summer, explaining how musician-producer Brian Eno allowed randomness to take control of his work, which by now has directly or indirectly touched some of the greatest bands in the popular music canon — he’s produced albums for David Bowie and Talking Heads, and created solo works that are strange little gems of their own. The article went on to argue that certain projects may have been worse off for having Eno’s sensibilities — ambient tones, electronic instruments, some other elements I can’t easily identify — in the mix. Maybe. Things get pretty weird with the guy around. But it’s never a novelty: for all the randomness, there’s a method, even with the odd track best described as “men’s choir chanting while asynchronously dropping their keys.” Anyway, lately I’ve been into more music either created, produced, or partially inspired by Eno. Here’s what I’ve got.