Pages tagged “daniel lanois”

With a hand in works ranging from U2’s The Joshua Tree and Peter Gabriel’s So to Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball and his own equally elegant (if less ubiquitous) solo work, artist/producer Daniel Lanois is one of modern music’s most accomplished craftsmen. Indelibly stamping every record he touches, he creates deeply layered, naturalistic chord structures and lush instrumental beds. On his new CD/DVD set, Here Is What Is, Lanois steps back, surveying the creative process with a profound sense of purpose. The project includes sonic tone poems, offers insight into his songwriting and captures his philosophical conversations with Brian Eno in the midst of the Moroccan recording sessions for the last U2 record.

“Everyone has access to the same tools,” Lanois softly intones while discussing What Is. “I think it’s a matter of emphasis. I’m looking at my fireplace right now and it has this beautiful herringbone pattern. If my fire was bigger and roaring then I might not be able to appreciate the herringbone.” So it is, he explains, with the songwriting process—in addition to blazing anthems, Lanois strives to capture “the in-between moments of life,” allowing instruments room to breathe so they can create overtones and add new textures. He also does his best to inspire the artists he works with to find new facets of themselves. “You will wake up one morning,” he says, “holding a license to something you could never do before.”

Still angry about that 160 kbps lump of coal that Radiohead dumped down your chimney this October? Well has Daniel Lanois got a holiday gift for you! The famed producer/songwriter will release his sixth solo album, Here Is What Is, as a digital download at RedFloorRecords.com. The big news? It's available as a batch of CD-quality .wav files, which should be enough to satisfy even the staunchest audiophile.

This release marks the first time that an artist has gone to the trouble of keeping digital files CD-quality. Here Is What Is arrives online Dec. 15 for the price of $9.99, which is approximately how much one of those shoddy iTunes .mp3 albums costs. There will also be a physical release of the record, slated for March 18.

The album features Lanois playing alongside drummer Brian Blade and virtuoso session keyboardist Garth Hudson (formerly of The Band). Here Is What Is soundtacks the film of the same name, which Lanois co-directed. The flick debuted at this year's Toronto Film Festival, and will be out on DVD March 18. Included from the film are "philosophical interludes" and "inspiring conversations with Brian Eno," according to the album's press release.

Here is what the tracklisting is:

1. Chest Of Drawers
2. Where Will I Be
3. Here Is What Is
4. Not Fighting Anymore
5. Beauty
6. Blue Bus
7. Lovechild
8. Harry
9. Bells
10. This May Be The Last Time
11. Smoke #6
12. I Like That
13. Duo Glide
14. Bladesteel
15. Moondog
16. Sacred And Secular
17. Joy
18. Luna Samba

Related links:
Daniel Lanois on MySpace
Paste: Daniel Lanois - Belladonna review
YouTube: Daniel Lanois - "The Maker"

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Considering Daniel Lanois’ impressive résumé, those unfamiliar with the producer/songwriter’s solo work certainly wouldn’t be faulted for expecting something truly excellent on his fourth proper album, Belladonna. A frequent collaborator of Brian Eno’s (working with him on much of his groundbreaking ambient material in the ’80s), Lanois has also produced albums by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Peter Gabriel, to name a few.

But despite this veritable laundry list of credibility, Lanois’ latest merely shows flickers of greatness, opting mostly for stagnant compositions over moving arrangements. Although this restrained, instrumental release is obviously not the type of music intended for a dance party, nearly all the songs on Belladonna go beyond subtle, ending up in an area best described as comatose. Unless you’re in dire need of a sleep aid, avoid this album.