Bloom is the new YouTube. Well, only in the sense that I’ve been playing with it since 9 PM last night and haven’t yet gotten a lick of work done today. (Damn deadlines! Shahendra, you’ll get my copy when I’m good and ready and done messing around on Bloom. Read: Can I get a two-week extension?) Here’s the skinny.

Bloom was created by legendary music producer and musician Brian Eno (!) and Peter Chilvers as a generative ambient music application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. According to Apple, it’s “part instrument, part composition and part artwork.” And according to us, it’s part awesome, part incredible and part amazing. The interface works like this: Open the app, and you’re presented with a blank color hue. Touch the screen, and a tone plays. Different heights on the screen produce different notes, and the tones loop, fading and separating and tightening–all above a gentle, hypnotic whurr. It’s really that simple. The best part is that there is virtually no learning curve to play this instrument because nearly everything sounds good–no matter if you’re patiently plotting your notes or rapidly mashing the screen. To add some variation, the app features the option to toggle between several different moods as well. And if you’re lazy, you can even let Bloom generate (or if you’re a Spore-head, “evolve”) its own soothing compositions.

At the cost of only $4, it’s like having Brian Eno in your pocket. Which has basically been my dream since I discovered his albums Here Come the Warm Jets and Music for Airports. So looks like I can die happy.