Michael Brook – ‘Cobalt Blue & Live at the Aquarium’ Available Now

‘Cobalt Blue and Live at the Aquarium’ by Michael Brook

Available now on Crystal Clear 2xLP and 2xCD

“[Cobalt Blue’s] precision-tooled beauty captures a transitional moment for the guitarist and composer… a hallucinatory work, boasting an exotic palette of instrumentation that evokes restless, unbounded travel while resisting cliche… [Live at the Aquarium] adds a second perspective: looser, more fragile, and perhaps more emotional” 

– Record Collector 4**** 

“His sonics sound carefully chosen, as infinite soundwaves contrast with keening background solos and actual riffs to imbue each tune with genuine substance […] full-bodied songs that reveal new things with every spin” 

– The Big Takeover 

“Instead of leaning into the ancient ritualism or heavy reverb of 4AD’s gothic past, or the fuzz-pedal distortion of its present, Brook skewed cooler and more lateral, drawing from fluid jazz phrasing, throbbing electronics, and Fourth World globalism” 

– Qobuz 

“Inspired by Ennio Morricone, J.J. Cale and Hindustani classical music, Michael Brook’s 1992 4AD debut is a 2nd wave ambient/new age classic, finally remastered and bundled with the genius follow-up EP ‘Live at the Aquarium’. Unmissable FFO Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and David Sylvian” 

– Boomkat

 “Possessed of an intricate, cold and eerie beauty” 

– Vive le Rock! 

Inventor of the ‘infinite guitar’ and Grammy-nominated film composer (with credits including Heat, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Into the Wild), Canadian musician Michael Brook releases the first vinyl reissue of his 1992 4AD record Cobalt Blue and the vinyl debut of Live at the Aquarium. Both out now — the release is a long-overdue celebration of underrated gems in the 4AD catalogue, newly remastered by Rashad Becker and presented on Crystal Clear 2×LP and 2xCD with artwork by Alison Fielding based on the original v23 designs.

+ Buy from the 4AD store on crystal clear 2xLP, 2xCD and digitally +

+ Listen on all digital platforms +

Cobalt Blue is a timeless and quietly stunning collection of instrumental pieces and shimmering dreamscapes, featuring contributions from ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, composer & multi-instrumentalist Roger Eno, and Grammy-winning producer Daniel Lanois. Recorded later that year, Live at the Aquarium captures Brook’s rare solo performance in London, highlighting the hypnotic sustain and atmosphere that define his work.

In 1992, it had been seven years since the release of guitarist/composer Michael Brook’s debut album, Hybrid. In that time, he had signed to Brian Eno’s label and management company, Opal, and moved to England from his native Toronto. He produced a soundtrack composed by The Edge. The U2 guitarist and their producer Daniel Lanois had both acquired versions of Brook’s invention known as the “infinite guitar,” an instrument modified to produce endless sustain. Brook also toured extensively during this period, collaborated with world music giants such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Youssou N’Dour, and was co-artist and producer on the ambient classic Sleeps with Fishes, with Pieter Nooten.

When Brook eventually returned to the studio to work on his second album, he had absorbed a tremendous amount of new input and experience. The result was Cobalt Blue — a record that was under-appreciated at the time but has grown in esteem and influence over the decades and proved to be a crucial moment in a remarkable career.

Michael Brook – Cobalt Blue & Live at the Aquarium

4AD0853

A1. Shona Bridge

A2. Breakdown

A3. Red Shift

A4. Skip Wave

A5. Slipstream

A6. Andean

B1. Slow Breakdown

B2. Ultramarine

B3. Urbana

B4. Lakbossa

B5. Ten

B6. Hawaii

C1. Shona Bridge (Live)

C2. After Image / Urbana (Medley Live)

C3 Andean (Live)

D1. Ultramarine (Live)

D2. Lakbossa (Live)

D3. Cascade (Live)

D4. Red Shift (Live)