Thursday Afternoon

The whole of THURSDAY AFTERNOON consists of one 61-minute track, itself an edit of a much longer piece designed as the accompaniment for a video piece by artist Russell Mills. In the tradition of 19th century program music, THURSDAY AFTERNOON attempts to musically evoke the feelings of a specific experience. Amusingly, the experience being evoked is the tedium of a nondescript, unexciting day. While it's perhaps up to the individual listener as to whether this makes for an entirely satisfying listening experience, THURSDAY AFTERNOON is one of Brian Eno's most intellectually intriguing pieces. THURSDAY AFTERNOON stretches the concept of ambient music nearly to the breaking point--the piece consists almost entirely of single notes and simple chords held seemingly without end, with the occasional wash of piano notes wafting through. Or, to put it another way, nothing happens. Frequently.

Mojo (p.114)
- 5 stars out of 5 - "[A] seamless 61 minutes of random piano notes falling, like raindrops from a leaf, onto a shimmering synthesizer puddle."

Uncut (p.117)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "Magnificently evocative..."