The Ship
Studio album by
Brian Eno
Released29 April 2016
Genre
Length47:30
LabelWarp
ProducerBrian Eno, Peter Chilvers
Brian Eno chronology
High Life
(2014) 		The Ship
(2016) 		Reflection
(2017)
Singles from The Ship
  1. "The Ship"
    Released: 30 March 2016
  2. "Fickle Sun (III) I'm Set Free"
    Released: 21 April 2016
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Exclaim!6/10[5]
The Independent[6]
Mojo[7]
Pitchfork8.0/10[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Uncut[11]

The Ship is the twenty-sixth solo studio album by Brian Eno, released on 29 April 2016 on Warp Records.[12] Announced on Eno's website on 24 February 2016, it was Eno's first solo album to contain vocals since 2005's Another Day on Earth.[13] The Ship debuted at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart and is the second highest-charting solo album of Eno's solo career (after debut Here Come The Warm Jets.)[14] The album received critical acclaim.

Background

Brian Eno has said the title is a reference to the sinking of Titanic, which he has called "the apex of human technical power, set to be man's greatest triumph over nature".[13] The album was originally conceived as a multi-channel sound installation, when Eno discovered that he could sing in a low C: "As you get older, you know, your voice drops, so you sort of gain a semi-tone at the bottom and lose about six at the top every year. That's what's happened to me. So I've suddenly got this new, low voice I can sing with, and I just started singing with that piece. And, so it was the first time I thought, "Oh, what about making a song that you could walk around inside?".[15]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2016 2016 —
[16]
The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016 2016
25
[17]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
41
[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Brian Eno, except "Fickle Sun (iii) I'm Set Free" written and composed by Eno and Lou Reed

No.TitleLength
1."The Ship"21:19
2."Fickle Sun (I)"18:03
3."Fickle Sun (II) The Hour Is Thin"2:50
4."Fickle Sun (III) I'm Set Free"5:18
Total length:47:30
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
5."Away"6:53

Personnel

Credits are adapted from The Ship liner notes.[19]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 44
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 91
Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] 68
UK Albums (OCC)[23] 28
US Billboard 200[24] 175
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[25] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[26] 11

See also

References

  1. ^ "Reviews for The Ship by Brian Eno - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  2. ^ Thom Jurek. "Ship". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  3. ^ "The Ship · Brian Eno · Brian Eno's dark near-masterpiece is well worth the struggle · Music Review · The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  4. ^ Kot, Greg (29 April 2016). "Brian Eno brings another wave of innovation with 'The Ship'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  5. ^ Mullin, Kyle. "Brian Eno The Ship". Exclaim!. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  6. ^ Andy Gill (21 April 2016). "Album reviews: The Ship by Brian Eno, I've Always Kept A Unicorn by Sandy Denny, Onwards To Mars! by Fanfare Ciocârlia". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  7. ^ The sprawling opening (title) track commencing with familiarly tremulous, slow-motion synths inexorably rising and falling, oscillating between exquisite consonance and transient dissonance. [May 2016, p.94]
  8. ^ "Brian Eno: The Ship Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  9. ^ This is magnificent. [Apr 2016, p.105]
  10. ^ Kory Grow (25 April 2016). "Brian Eno's New Album: The Ship". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  11. ^ The Ship successfully combines--surprisingly for the first time--his ambient and song-based work. [Jun 2016, p.73]
  12. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (24 February 2016). "Brian Eno Announces New Album The Ship". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  13. ^ a b Brian Eno Announces Titanic-Inspired Solo LP 'The Ship'
  14. ^ (UK) Official Charts - Brian Eno
  15. ^ Brian Eno on Kanye West, David Bowie and His Immersive LP 'The Ship'
  16. ^ "The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  17. ^ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  19. ^ The Ship (booklet). Brian Eno. Warp Records. 2016. 801061827216.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Brian Eno – The Ship" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Brian Eno – The Ship" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  22. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 18, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  24. ^ "Brian Eno Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  25. ^ "Brian Eno Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  26. ^ "Brian Eno Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
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