Apollo

In 1983, Brian Eno released Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, an ambient album that included music that was used to score a documentary about the Apollo moon mission. Teaming up with his brother Roger Eno and producer Daniel Lanois, Eno created a work that conveyed an eerie sense of deep space. In 2012, the British new music ensemble Icebreaker released Apollo, a live recording in which it covered the original in an arrangement by Korean composer Woojun Lee. Special guest BJ Cole—a British pedal steel guitarist who has performed with Elton John, T. Rex, and The Verve—appears on five cuts. The opener, "Signals," establishes the album’s general mood: mysterious, quietly awestruck, and a little forlorn. “Under Stars II” moves at a glacial pace as it evokes the slow, hypnotic movement of bodies through outer space. About halfway through Apollo, Cole begins to lend his lovely tones to the music. “Deep Blue Day,” a piece that recalls Eno’s pop songs of the '70s, is nicely fleshed out by Cole’s subtle touch. “An Ending (Ascent) II” closes the album with pedal steel tones wrapped in a setting as fine as gauze.