Stuff like this really has a very limited audience, but hey, it's Robert Fripp & Brian Eno for chrissakes! Beyond Even (1992-2006) is a 2 CD collection of unreleased pieces from the duo, recorded between 1992 and 2006 (although there's not notes here on when any of these songs were recorded or where). Well, actually it's one set of tunes, offered on the first disc as individual tracks and segued the way they were originally recorded, then on the second disc all the pieces flow as if one long 55 minute suite. Either way you look at it, the end result is ultimately the same, it just depends on your preference for having segues or not. The music is what you would expect from these two, an amalgam of ambient waves of sound, trippy electronic noises, beds of haunting soundscapes, and the occasional violent shard of Fripp's electric guitar outbursts, which can be heard in all its glory on "Sneering Loop" and "Cross Crisis in Lust Storm". Eno's techno noodling matches up with Fripp's ominous soundscapes on "The Idea of Decline", and "Hopeful Timean" provides some of the album's more dramatic yet subtle sounds. More often than not though we've heard this type of thing before from both artists, both together and solo, as well as countless other players over the years, which prohibits Beyond Even from providing much as far as wow factor. Many of the pieces here go nowhere and offer nothing to warrant repeat listens, which is a real shame considering the vast amount of talent that both musicians possess. If you are looking to hear Fripp's guitar genius paired up with the oddball world of Eno, pickings are slim here on Beyond Even, so proceed with caution.
Track Listing
1. Ringing Beat
2. Gasp
3. Sneering Loop
4. Tripoli 2020
5. Behold the Child
6. Timean Sparkles
7. Dirt Loop
8. The Idea Of Decline
9. Deep Indian Long
10. Hopeful Timean
11. Glass Structure
12. Voices
13. Cross Crisis In Lust Storm
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