If there’s one label you can’t put on Brian Eno, it’s complacent. As the go-to guy when it comes to fusing experimental production with pop, Eno seems open to collaborating with anyone who dials his number. What makes Eno an interesting collaborator is that while his production style comes with a set of expectations, he doesn’t have a signature sound. Though not quite a chameleon, he can shift and adapt to the situation at hand. It’s the kind of flexibility that has served him well and is in ample display with High Life (Warp Records), his latest collaborative album that features Underworld’s Karl Hyde.

High Life is actually the second album that Eno and Hyde have worked on together, with the first one, Someday World, released only two months ago. One would expect that High Life would consist of tacks that didn’t make the cut of the first album. Instead, the reports indicate that Eno and Hyde were so inspired by the original sessions that they cranked out High Life in five days.

While Eno may be the marquee name, as a member of the criminally underrated Underworld, Hyde brings a surprisingly compatible skill set to the table. While there doesn’t seem to be any obvious crossover, Hyde’s work with Underworld and the Tomato collective has orbited some of the same planets as Eno. The album opener, “Cells & Bells,” is what people might expect from the two of them: layers and washes of languid ambient sounds from Eno and abstract lyrics and heavily processed vocals from Hyde. Even if they just delivered an album full of moments like that, High Life would be a solid listen, but much like the rest of Eno’s career, the duo refuses to play it safe and instead the album shifts gears and goes in another direction entirely.

Once the second track hits, the record pulls a bait and switch, although its moniker might have clued one into the mix of Afrobeat, Afropop, and like the title says, high life. Yet it doesn’t play like a world music album. The songs are filtered through duel sensibilities and seem playfully in defiance of playing anything straight. So there are moments where some four on the floor sneaks into the mix accompanied by some tough-minded rock riffs and techno flourishes. There’s even a nod to David Bowie’s Earthling album with “DBF.” It’s drum & bass done rock style that’s a sonic punch in the face, jarring but also like a good-natured nuggy. And as the shortest track on the album, it takes the role of resetting the record.

The biggest surprise of High Life is that the songs feel shorter than their running times. At an average of nine minutes, the songs should conceivably sag or drag. Instead, they play as briskly as jukebox 45s. Even with his massive discography, this record is a high mark for Eno and an exciting new direction for Hyde. Here’s to never staying still and resting on your laurels.