Column: Overrated/Underrated: Psychic Temple takes on Eno’s ‘Music for Airports,’ and ‘The Enfield Haunting’ offers TV chills

UNDERRATED

‘The Enfield Haunting’ on Hulu: It’s not clear why ghost stories are always enhanced by the leftover wardrobe for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” but it’s been proved again in this three-episode miniseries. Based on an alleged 1977 haunting that also inspired recent box office champ “The Conjuring 2” (and its own rack of ’70s-era finery), the British import follows two young girls and the investigators at their side through a paranormal home invasion. The results offer unsettling chills on par with what comes from the big screen, with the help of a solid cast that includes Timothy Spall from “Mr. Turner” and young Eleanor Worthington-Cox, who earned a BAFTA nomination for her frayed-nerve performance.

Psychic Temple’s ‘Plays Music for Airports’: Released in 1978, “Ambient 1: Music for Airports,” Brian Eno’s venture into ambient music, set the template for amorphous songcraft that rewarded attentive listening but didn’t require it. Re-imagined by prolific Long Beach artist Chris Schlarb and his shape-shifting band Psychic Temple, the first of Eno’s four-part piece takes on a new, jazz-tilted life with local musicians that include Kris Tiner and Minutemen founder Mike Watt. In just over 15 minutes, the subtle shifts of Eno’s original remain but evolve into an expressive haze of guitar, keys, trumpet and drums. The EP’s second track, the space-funk mini-epic “Music for Bus Stops,” further draws Schlarb’s deft hand for invention and homage into clear relief.

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OVERRATED

Long-awaited comeback albums: A bit of advice to artists who make a landmark statement – forget it as soon as you can and keep writing. Apart from D’Angelo’s “Black Messiah,” most long-delayed albums suffer under expectations that only expand with time – just look at the Stone Roses’ underwhelming “Second Coming” and My Bloody Valentine’s impossibly delayed “Loveless” follow-up, “mbv.” Now, Australia’s Avalanches will finally fight the long shadow of their 2000 dance classic “Since I Left You.” But if lead single “Frankie Sinatra” is any indication, it will struggle to measure up to its predecessor. At this rate, we’re already worried about Frank Ocean.

Variety show revivals (as we know them): “Maya & Marty,” the “Saturday Night Live”-inspired stab at reviving the variety show with Maya Rudolph and Martin Short, hasn’t made much of a dent thus far, but maybe the problem isn’t so much the format as the memory of it. “Maya & Marty” struggles to differentiate itself from its Lorne Michaels-backed pedigree, bringing together music, comedy and whatever else should be a viable option in attention-addled 2016. Just look at how many second- and third-tier awards shows of the last few years that are basically variety shows interspersed with the occasional statue. Maybe we need to lose the baggage of tuxedos and variety labels and make the format somewhat less familiar?

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