Daniel Lanois: “Here Is What Is”
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Daniel Lanois is a name that often comes up in rock circles, and with good reason. Growing up in Canada, Lanois fell in love with the recording side of music, and he started out producing local talent in his hometown of Ancaster, Ontario. He quickly graduated to the big leagues, collaborating with Brian Eno, U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Neil Young, among others. Classic albums like The Joshua Tree and Time Out Of Mind bear his unique stamp; his production work is atmospheric, allowing the artists to come through in an intimate way.
But Lanois is also an accomplished songwriter. He’s released six albums under his own name, and they’re logical extensions of his production work. He favors spare, haunting instrumentation, resulting in songs that are dreamy in nature. Recently, Lanois has been busy with Black Dub, a full-band effort that allows him to explore dub and blues music with a trio of other contributors. Black Dub recently played the ACL Fest in support of their self-titled debut album, which came out last year.
Today’s song of the day comes from a 2007 documentary about Lanois’s creative process. “Here Is What Is” is the best of both of his sides–it’s a perfect summation of his skill as a producer and as a musician.
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