Clattermouuuth’s Music of The Week: ‘Apollo’ By Brian Eno

By Andrew Kohler

Welcome back to Clattermouuuth’s Music of the Week, curating Rockaway’s music taste one week at a time.

This week, I had a very hard time choosing an album. I began writing drafts for two other albums before this one, but I really wasn’t inspired enough to write about them. In the back of my mind, I always knew I wanted to write about Brian Eno’s “Apollo” because it’s the album that has stuck out the most to me out of all the music I’ve listened to this week.

I was hesitant to write about it because, well, it’s not an easy listen … It’s an abstract ambient collection of soundscapes. This isn’t an album made for the radio or a party; it’s an album for your alone time. It’s just you and the album, and you can discover its use.

I don’t think it would be right for me to describe the atmospheric production that is this album. Instead, I want to talk about the perfect times to listen to this album because I feel the most challenging part about listening to “weird” or abstract music is not knowing when you’re supposed to listen to music like this.

The first time I listened to “Apollo” was while reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse VI,” needing something to put on in the background. However, somehow, I felt more captivated by the music than the book. How did this collection of noise interest me more than a novel, which I genuinely loved? The music was in the background, yet it wasn’t distracting; it blended with the book and made the book ten times more immersive.

I think that is what the album was meant for: enhancing the space where it is being listened to. You don’t keep track of which song starts or which one ends, it’s one experience, one stretch in time with no lead instrument and no subject. This album is perfect for a reading session, a walk, or even a morning routine. Any moment where you have space for yourself. The album was literally made for space — as a soundtrack for a NASA documentary. This album is a finite moment that will enhance the isolated moments of your life.

Music doesn’t always need a hook or a chorus. Music doesn’t always need to be for the radio or a party. Music doesn’t always need to have meaning. Sometimes, music can just sit alongside you. So please, give this album a chance. Let it enhance your solitude and be the soundtrack to your reflections.