Brian Eno - Nerve Net (1992)

To me, Brian Eno's solo discography can be a bit frustrating. I recognize his mastery of ambient music, and love most of his ambient material, but sometimes I wish that he'd return to the more 'song-oriented' approach that he used, to excellent ends, on his first three albums (and Before and After Science.)

While, aside from Wrong Way Up, I'll probably never get my wish, Nerve Net comes kinda close, in that it features programmed percussion, almost danceable rhythms, and even some vocals. It's also easily the darkest-sounding album he's released, as a number of tracks are spent in an uneasy, Twin Peaks-like world of dissonant, keyboard-based lounge jazz. It's not Here Come the Warm Jets - not that it's trying to be - but it's an interesting listen.

Track listing:
1. Fractal Zoom
2. Wire Shock
3. What Actually Happened?
4. Pierre in Mist
5. My Squelchy Life
6. Juju Space Jazz
7. The Roil, The Choke
8. Ali Click
9. Distributed Being
10. Web
11. Web (Lascaux Mix)
12. Decentre

He raised the stake and broke the soil
And phrased the stroke that takes the oil
And stoked, erased and foiled the lake
And smoked and boiled the grazing snake