Spooky Steel
Guitar Player|Holiday 2016

Daniel Lanois Embraces Ambient Moods on Goodbye to Language

Michael Molenda
Spooky Steel

LONG THE ARCHETYPE OF TRANSFORMATION, PRODUCER Daniel Lanois has morphed sonics and musical approaches for Brian Eno, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, U2, and many others. And yet, he’s also savvy enough about convention to make hits, win Grammys, have his songs covered by other artists, and add his guitar and pedal-steel talents to bands and sideman gigs. All of this comes to bear on Goodbye to Language [Anti-]—a haunting and beautiful album of atmospheric sensations, soaring pedaland lap-steel melodies, manipulated samples, and undulating textures. The music somehow manages to be symphonic in scope, while also casting emotive spells that drone and hum—a construct made all the more miraculous as Lanois and co-conspirator Rocco Deluca crafted their parts randomly with Lanois calling out chords while the duo played live in the studio.

While Lanois certainly has lots of experience creating ambient music—as well as composing while recording—the spontaneous element of the writing and playing on Goodbye to Language serves as a brilliant lesson for GP readers looking to break out of musical comfort zones or expand their creative armory. It’s also impressive that while Lanois is a very heady, articulate, and experienced musician/composer, he also retains the joy and awe of creation, approaching projects as if everything is new and strange.

How did you tackle the compositions on the album?

Bu hikaye Guitar Player dergisinin Holiday 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Guitar Player dergisinin Holiday 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

GUITAR PLAYER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"
Guitar Player

How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"

AI Stewart reflects on his beguiling hit, some 10 years in the making.

time-read
3 dak  |
December 2024
UAFX
Guitar Player

UAFX

Teletronix LA-2A Studio Compressor

time-read
2 dak  |
December 2024
LINE 6
Guitar Player

LINE 6

POD Express

time-read
2 dak  |
December 2024
MAN OF STEEL
Guitar Player

MAN OF STEEL

He brought the Dobro to centerstage with his dazzling talent. As he drops his first album in seven years, Jerry Douglas reflects on his gear, career and induction in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

time-read
8 dak  |
December 2024
HIGH TIME
Guitar Player

HIGH TIME

The new MC5 album took more than 50 years to arrive. The band members have all passed on, but the celebration is just beginning.

time-read
10+ dak  |
December 2024
58 YEARS OF GUITAR PLAYER
Guitar Player

58 YEARS OF GUITAR PLAYER

As Guitar Player moves full-time to its online home, we look back at some of its greatest stories in print.

time-read
5 dak  |
December 2024
DRAGON TALES
Guitar Player

DRAGON TALES

In a Guitar Player exclusive, Jimmy Page sheds light on the amplifiers behind his Led Zeppelin tone and how they live again in his line of Sundragon signature amps.

time-read
10+ dak  |
December 2024
CLOSER TO HOME
Guitar Player

CLOSER TO HOME

Rehearsal space, studio, vessel and abode Diego Garcia's boat is the home base for his new album, as well as his musical life as the seafaring Spanish guitarist Twanguero.

time-read
6 dak  |
December 2024
Funk Noir
Guitar Player

Funk Noir

With The Black Album, Prince made his greatest-and most infamousmusical statement.

time-read
2 dak  |
December 2024
Medium Cool
Guitar Player

Medium Cool

Striking the middle ground between its Thinline brethren, Gibson's ES-345TD remains a versatile, if underrated, gem.

time-read
4 dak  |
December 2024