SPILL BOOK REVIEW: BETTE A. AND BRIAN ENO – SLOW STORIES (A COLLABORATION OF STORYTELLING, MUSIC AND ART)

BETTE A. AND BRIAN ENO – SLOW STORIES (A COLLABORATION OF STORYTELLING, MUSIC AND ART)

UNNAMED PRESS

BOOK REVIEW BY AARON BADGLEY

Brian Eno was very busy in 2025, releasing three albums, organizing charitable events (and single), putting together a compilation and overseeing his own life story documentary, which was really a 24-hour YouTube celebration. And that is just some of his activities in 2025. He starts 2026 off with a bang working with artist/writer Bette A. Slow Stories is not just an album. In fact, it is multimedia in every sense of the word. The album combines storytelling, music, and painting. With the Slow Stories project, Brian Eno provides an ambient soundtrack, while Bette A. tells two stories from her short story collection: “The Endless House” and “The Other Village”.

Slow Stories is a collaboration in every sense of the word. Both artists complement each other, with the music (ambient) setting the mood for the short stories. There are two pieces on the album. The first one, “The Endless House,” a story that reminded me, in tone, of John Connolly’s The Book Of Lost Things. Here, a little girl creates a house, room by room, but it is not all happy or pleasant. It is dark, and melancholy and is extremely beautiful, with Bette’s voice mixed with Eno’s music.

SLOW STORIES LIMITED EDITION VINYL, PAINTING & BOOK

The second track on Slow Stories, “The Other Village,” takes place in an imaginary town (as does “The Endless House”). Like “The Endless House,” Bette and Eno take their time rolling out the short story. Bette tells the story of a village that only a little girl could see. Again, the text and music combine to take the listener into other worlds and places. It is peaceful but, again, is somewhat dark and quite sad.

Brian Eno never stops exploring the world of art. Last year Bette A. and Brian Eno wrote a book together, What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory. It is a brilliant, short book (but not a quick read) and Slow Stories feels like a continuation of that book. Not a new project, but an extension. Slow Stories should not be considered as just an album. It is really one piece of a new art project from the duo. It is available as a limited-edition bundle (just 444 copies) containing a hardcover book, the album, and a 20×20 cm unique and numbered hand-painted panel, signed by both artists. As such, Slow Stories, as an independent album, works, but as part of the art project it can be seen in its entirety. Once again, Eno and Bette A. have created a stunning work of art.

ISBN-13:‎ 9781961884724

PURCHASE SLOW STORIES VIA UNNAMED PRESS HERE