David Byrne | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Although best-known for his groundbreaking tenure fronting the new wave group Talking Heads, David Byrne is also acclaimed for his adventurous solo career, encroaching upon such diverse arenas as world music, filmmaking, and performance art in the process. Born in Dumbarton, Scotland on May 14, 1952, Byrne was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. The son of an electronics engineer, he played guitar in a series of teenage bands before attending the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, where, feeling alienated from the largely upper-class student population, he dropped out after one year. However, he remained in the Providence area, performing solo on a ukulele before forming the Artistics (also known as the Autistics) with fellow students Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. After changing the name of the band to Talking Heads and enlisting onetime Modern Lover Jerry Harrison, the group signed to Sire Records. A series of LPs, including the debut Talking Heads 77, 1978s More Songs About Buildings and Food, and 1980s Remain in Light followed, establishing the quartet as one of contemporary musics most visionary talents. During a band sabbatical in 1981, Byrne teamed up with Brian Eno, the producer of much of the Heads work, for the collaborative effort My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, a complex, evocative album that fused electronic music with Third World percussion and hypnotic vocal effects. That same year, Byrne also began exploring theater with the composition of The Catherine Wheel, a dance piece choreographed by Twyla Tharp. Byrnes next solo work appeared in 1985 with The Knee Plays, a New Orleans brass band-influenced project composed for a portion of Robert Wilsons theatrical epic CIVIL warS. In 1986, Byrne wrote, starred in, and directed the feature film True Stories, a series of comic vignettes based on press clippings culled from tabloid publications like the Weekly World News. He also wrote and produced the majority of music for the films score in addition to performing his usual duties for that years Talking Heads LP, also named True Stories. In 1988, he wrote the score to the Jonathan Demme comedy Married to the Mob and, in tandem with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su, won an Academy Award for his musical work on Bernardo Bertoluccis historical epic The Last Emperor. Also in 1988, Byrnes fascination with world music -- a longtime influence on his herky-jerky performance style as well as Talking Heads complex polyrhythms -- inspired him to form his own record label, Luaka Bop, to give widespread American release to global music. That same year, the Heads released Naked, their final proper LP, leaving Byrne to give his full attention to solo endeavors. He resurfaced in 1989 with Rei Momo, a song collection inspired by Latin rhythms, and also directed the documentary Ile Aiye (The House of Life), which focused on the rituals of Yoruban dance music. In 1991, he again collaborated with Robert Wilson on The Forest, writing music for a full orchestra. 1992s Uh-Oh marked Byrnes return to more conventional rock performance, a direction he continued with a self-titled album issued in 1994. Feelings, recorded with members of Morcheeba and Devo, followed in 1997. Four years later, Look Into the Eyeball was issued on Virgin Records/Luaka Bop and captured Byrnes signature wry humor and musical diversity. In 2003, Byrnes music for the film Young Adam (featuring members of Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai) was released as Lead Us Not Into Temptation by Thrill Jockey. Grown Backwards, his first disc for the Nonesuch label, appeared a year later. In 2007, the ever-busy Byrne released a CD/DVD version of The Knee Plays that featured the 12 original tracks along with eight demos and outtakes. Big Love: Hymnal, containing material composed for the HBO series Big Love, appeared in 2008; Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, a collaboration with Brian Eno that took in folk and gospel influences, followed later that year. Byrnes next project proved to be another collaborative album, this one created with the assistance of British DJ Fatboy Slim. Released in early 2010, Here Lies Love was a concept album about former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her controversial love life. Over 20 guest vocalists appeared on the eclectic record, including Cyndi Lauper, Martha Wainwright, Sharon Jones, and Santigold. Byrnes next big project was another collaboration, this time with St. Vincent/Annie Clark, the Dap-Kings, Antibalas, and producer John Congleton. Love This Giant arrived in September 2012. Byrne spent 2015 staging Contemporary Color, a pair of concerts in Brooklyn and Toronto which paired musicians with color guard groups; the shows were preserved in a 2016 film of the same name. Early in 2018, Byrne returned with the chart-topping American Utopia, his first solo album since 2004s Grown Backwards. The record was the first installment of a larger multimedia project titled "Reasons to Be Cheerful," which focused on optimism during an age of political uncertainty. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 25 Title: 3 Big Songs Released: 1981 Tracks: 3 Duration: 13:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Big Business (dance mix) (06:18) 2 My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) (02:45) 3 Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open) (04:45) |
 | Album: 2 of 25 Title: The Catherine Wheel Released: 1981 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:09:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Light Bath (01:11) 2 His Wife Refused (04:31) 3 Adé (03:22) 4 Walking (00:53) 5 Two Soldiers (03:31) 6 Under the Mountain (00:52) 7 Dinosaur (02:34) 8 The Red House (03:17) 9 Wheezing (03:12) 10 Eggs in a Briar Patch (03:31) 11 Poison (02:31) 12 Cloud Chamber (02:50) 13 Black Flag (02:30) 14 My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) (02:45) 15 Combat (02:45) 16 Leg Bells (02:41) 17 The Blue Flame (03:24) 18 Big Business (05:06) 19 Dense Beasts (03:11) 20 Five Golden Sections (02:53) 21 What a Day That Was (05:32) 22 Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open) (04:44) 23 Light Bath (01:10) |
| The Catherine Wheel : Allmusic album Review : Since the breakup of Talking Heads, David Byrnes solo work has been notoriously inconsistent. But before that bands dissolution, he made a couple of very fine albums on his own: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno) and The Catherine Wheel, a musical score commissioned by Twyla Tharp to accompany her dance project of the same name. Byrnes score is always interesting and frequently brilliant; it draws on the instrumental talents of such session greats as drummer Yogi Horton, percussionist John Chernoff, guitarist Adrian Belew (who had been recording and touring as a sideman with Talking Heads), and, inevitably, Eno. Hortons drumming establishes a muscular funk foundation for much of the material, which also showcases Byrnes underrated guitar playing. Only the lyrics disappoint; they consist almost entirely of clichéd and predictable depictions of domestic suburban angst. Highlights of the program include "The Red House," with its eerie use of deconstructed vocal samples, and the lovely faux-juju "Ade." Highly recommended. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 25 Title: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts Released: 1981-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 America Is Waiting (03:38) 2 Mea culpa (03:44) 3 Regiment (03:58) 4 Help Me Somebody (04:19) 5 The Jezebel Spirit (04:57) 6 Qu’ran (03:46) 7 Moonlight in Glory (04:46) 8 The Carrier (03:36) 9 A Secret Life (02:31) 10 Come With Us (02:43) 11 Mountain of Needles (02:34) |
| My Life in the Bush of Ghosts : Allmusic album Review : A pioneering work for countless styles connected to electronics, ambience, and Third World music, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts expands on the fourth-world concepts of Hassell/Eno work with a whirlwind 45 minutes of worldbeat/funk-rock (with the combined talents of several percussionists and bassists, including Bill Laswell, Tim Wright, David van Tieghem, and Talking Heads Chris Frantz) thats also heavy on the samples -- from radio talk-show hosts, Lebanese mountain singers, preachers, exorcism ceremonies, Muslim chanting, and Egyptian pop, among others. Its also light years away from the respectful, preservationist angles of previous generations field recorders and folk song gatherers. The songs on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts present myriad elements from around the world in the same jumbled stew, without regard for race, creed, or color. As such, its a tremendously prescient record for the future development of music during the 1980s and 90s. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 25 Title: Songs From the Broadway Production of “The Catherine Wheel” Released: 1981-12-15 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 His Wife Refused (04:31) 2 Two Soldiers (04:45) 3 The Red House (03:17) 4 My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) (02:45) 5 Big Business (05:06) 6 Eggs in a Briar Patch (03:31) 7 Poison (02:31) 8 Cloud Chamber (02:50) 9 What a Day That Was (05:32) 10 Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open) (04:44) 11 Light Bath (01:10) |
 | Album: 5 of 25 Title: Music for The Knee Plays Released: 1985-05 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:19:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Tree (Today Is an Important Occasion) (04:07) 2 In the Upper Room (03:40) 3 The Sound of Business (06:20) 4 Social Studies (04:59) 5 (The Gift of Sound) Where the Sun Never Goes Down (02:37) 6 Theadora Is Dozing (03:04) 7 Admiral Perry (05:32) 8 I Bid You Goodnight (02:55) 9 Things to Do (I’ve Tried) (03:27) 10 Winter (06:26) 11 Jungle Book (03:43) 12 In the Future (06:35) 13 Tree (reprise) (02:36) 14 I’ve Tried (Things to Do) (03:28) 15 Tic Toc 2 (In the Future) (05:36) 16 Whisper (03:17) 17 Misterias (02:42) 18 Faust Dance (02:18) 19 Ghost (03:24) 20 Super Natural (02:56) |
 | Album: 6 of 25 Title: The Last Emperor Released: 1987-09-01 Tracks: 18 Duration: 50:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 First Coronation (01:46) 2 Open the Door (02:54) 3 Where Is Armo? (02:25) 4 Picking Up Brides (02:39) 5 The Last Emperor (theme variation 1) (02:19) 6 Rain (I Want a Divorce) (01:49) 7 The Baby (Was Born Dead) (00:55) 8 The Last Emperor (theme variation 2) (04:28) 9 The Last Emperor (theme) (05:54) 10 Main Title Theme (The Last Emperor) (04:01) 11 Picking a Bride (02:00) 12 Bed (05:00) 13 Wind, Rain and Water (02:18) 14 Paper Emperor (01:47) 15 Lunch (04:54) 16 Red Guard (01:20) 17 The Emperor’s Waltz (03:06) 18 The Red Guard Dance (00:39) |
 | Album: 7 of 25 Title: Rei Momo Released: 1989-09-25 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:03:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Independence Day (05:45) 2 Make Believe Mambo (05:23) 3 The Call of the Wild (04:53) 4 Dirty Old Town (04:13) 5 The Rose Tattoo (03:51) 6 Loco de Amor (03:46) 7 The Dream Police (03:00) 8 Dont Want to Be Part of Your World (04:58) 9 Marching Through the Wilderness (04:30) 10 Good and Evil (04:35) 11 Lie to Me (03:37) 12 Office Cowboy (03:41) 13 Women vs. Men (04:06) 14 Carnival Eyes (04:04) 15 I Know Sometimes a Man Is Wrong (03:11) |
| Rei Momo : Allmusic album Review : On his first full-fledged solo album, Byrne indulges his fascination with Latin and South American musical styles, employing a variety of native musicians but mixing up the sounds to suit his own distinctly non-purist vision and singing over the tracks the same kind of witty, oddball lyrics found on Talking Heads albums. (When released, the cassette version contained three more tracks than the LP.) | ||
 | Album: 8 of 25 Title: The Forest Released: 1991-06-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:01:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ur (13:07) 2 Kish (05:50) 3 Dura Europus (03:27) 4 Samara (05:40) 5 Nineveh (03:34) 6 Ava (12:15) 7 Machu Picchu (03:13) 8 Tula (04:19) 9 Teotihuacan (02:37) 10 Asuka (07:32) |
| The Forest : Allmusic album Review : In 1988, David Byrne collaborated with Robert Wilson on a "theatre piece" called The Forest that premiered in Berlin. (Byrne previously had worked with Wilson on The CIVIL warS, resulting in his album Music for "The Knee Plays.") Byrnes orchestral score served as the basis for this more extended version, released three years later on his Luaka Bop label. The music is stately, near-classical, and like none of his other recordings except his Academy Award-winning music for The Last Emperor. Byrne always was an eclectic, and in a purely musical environment (there are a few stray lyrics, but nothing to speak of), he is free to move from the European classical tradition to those of Japan and the Middle East, among other places. Depending upon your point of view, the result is either a pleasant travelogue or a mess. Or maybe both. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 25 Title: Uh-oh Released: 1992-03-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Now Im Your Mom (04:44) 2 Girls on My Mind (03:52) 3 Something Aint Right (03:38) 4 Shes Mad (05:20) 5 Hanging Upside Down (04:31) 6 A Walk in the Dark (04:22) 7 Twistin in the Wind (04:15) 8 The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now) (03:38) 9 Monkey Man (04:08) 10 A Million Miles Away (04:23) 11 Tiny Town (05:05) 12 Somebody (04:59) |
| Uh-oh : Allmusic album Review : Uh-Oh was only David Byrnes second pop-oriented solo album and his first to be released after the formal end of Talking Heads. Though informed by his various investigations into world music, the album was a natural successor to the Talking Heads records, relying on involved percussion tracks topped by Byrnes quirky singing and lyrics. By this point, disaffected fans may have grown accustomed to the idea that a David Byrne solo album could contain anything from an extended flirtation with Latin styles (Rei Momo) to an eclectic instrumental score (The Forest), to name only his most recent solo projects. Maybe Byrne and his record label failed to get out the message that he was back to making Heads-style pop/rock (he didnt organize a tour until the album had come and gone on the charts), but Uh-Oh never reached its potential audience. Talking Heads fans should give it a listen. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 25 Title: David Byrne Released: 1994-05-24 Tracks: 12 Duration: 51:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 A Long Time Ago (03:23) 2 Angels (04:41) 3 Crash (04:26) 4 A Self‐Made Man (03:58) 5 Back in the Box (04:25) 6 Sad Song (03:03) 7 Nothing at All (04:52) 8 My Love is You (02:01) 9 Lilies of the Valley (04:31) 10 You & Eye (05:01) 11 Strange Ritual (06:54) 12 Buck Naked (03:51) |
| David Byrne : Allmusic album Review : David Byrne took a spare, direct approach on his third song-based solo album, which lent his work an intimacy but did little to restore his commercial prospects, despite a first single, "Angels," that was a ringer for The Talking Heads song "Once in a Lifetime." In fact, the limited instrumentation and focus on Byrnes voice tended to create difficulties with his typically quirky lyrics -- with the words in close-up, one wanted them to make some kind of sense. But when, for example, on "Strange Ritual," Byrne delivered a series of images -- "a French corporation that doesnt make anything / an ambulance driver--wakes up in a dairy queen" -- he didnt really mean anything by them. When he noted, "saw a young Indonesian girl-- / possessed by the spirit of / mutant ninja turtles," it was just because he liked the sound of the words. In a denser musical structure, such as the mbaqanga-flavored "You & Eye," one might share his enjoyment, but on other tracks with less to offer aurally, the disturbing question "What is he talking about?" became inescapable. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 25 Title: The Visible Man Released: 1997-08-19 Tracks: 9 Duration: 47:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Fuzzy Freaky (remixed by DJ Food) (06:53) 2 Fuzzy Freaky (remixed by Mark Walk & Ruby) (02:50) 3 Wicked Little Doll (remixed by New Kingdom) (04:11) 4 Dance on Vaseline (remixed by Thievery Corp.) (05:50) 5 You Dont Know Me (remixed by B-boy 3000) (05:50) 6 You Dont Know Me (remixed by Lloop) (05:00) 7 Miss America (remixed by Cecco Music) (05:40) 8 Miss America (remixed by Mark Saunders & DB) (05:54) 9 Amnesia (remixed by Rea Mochiach) (05:20) |
| The Visible Man : Allmusic album Review : It was no secret that David Byrne nourished a newfound interest in dance music on his 1997 Feelings tour. Going so far as to employ a DJ onstage instead of a traditional rhythm section could easily have looked like a desperate attempt to stay relevant. The resulting sound and attitude, however, actually worked for the middle-aged frontman, who had seemed bereft of musical inspiration in the few years preceding. Brand new electro updates of older material sounded fresh and even fitting onstage, especially a sinister new version of "Psycho Killer" which Byrne would deliver onstage wearing his Visible Man outfit: a lycra body suit depicting the human muscular system in gory detail. So when David Byrne recruited a handful of techno-influenced producers to whip up some fresh, innovative, beat-heavy takes on his material, many of his fans expected something that would resemble his live set. "Psycho Killer" redux is not present on Visible Man, nor the new "I Zimbra," nor any other gem from his 1997 set list. Instead, six tracks from Feelings have been selected and are given stock-issue techno backbones. Theres a lot of repetition from track to track, and too little of the energy Byrnes live shows boasted. A few bright spots manage to shine through this otherwise standard remix album. Underground luminaries Thievery Corp. spin a tranced-up "Dance on Vaseline," which develops a nice dark groove throughout the track. DJ Food delivers the only genuinely interesting spin on the source work in his retooling of "Fuzzy Freaky." The shattered beats and tortured, nearly demolished vocal track convey Byrnes nervous energy from years past nearly better than Byrne had ever done himself. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 25 Title: In Spite of Wishing and Wanting Released: 1999 Tracks: 7 Duration: 55:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Horses (04:31) 2 Sleeping Up (12:12) 3 Speech (05:26) 4 Saïd & the Ants (04:18) 5 Fear (02:33) 6 Fuzzy Freaky (DJ Food Mix) (06:19) 7 Danceonvaselinesyperextendedremix (19:44) |
 | Album: 13 of 25 Title: Look Into the Eyeball Released: 2001-04-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 U.B. Jesus (03:50) 2 The Revolution (02:15) 3 The Great Intoxication (02:37) 4 Like Humans Do (03:32) 5 Broken Things (04:30) 6 The Accident (02:34) 7 Desconocido soy (02:39) 8 Neighborhood (04:32) 9 Smile (03:33) 10 The Moment of Conception (02:57) 11 Walk on Water (03:26) 12 Everyone’s in Love With You (02:28) |
| Look Into the Eyeball : Allmusic album Review : It goes without saying that any David Byrne solo release will be all over the sonic map, and true to form, Look Into the Eyeball provides a pancultural stew of musical styles, exotic rhythms, and international guest stars. But what separates Eyeball from Byrnes previous offering, the only-fitfully successful Feelings, is a renewed emphasis on lush, natural sounds and consistent production. Nearly every track boasts strings and/or horns, and the textures go a long way in unifying Byrnes insistent genre-hopping. Tracks such as "Smile," "The Revolution," "The Accident," and "Everyones in Love With You" best demonstrate his new approach: Spare melodies are layered atop subtle, percolating rhythms and then filled in with evocative string arrangements. Better yet, Byrnes two collaborations with legendary Philly soul producer Thom Bell -- the buoyant "Like Humans Do" and "Neighborhood" -- blend in effortlessly with the other material. Of course, old habits die hard: "U.B. Jesus" and "The Great Intoxication" are at once too slick and too simple, with muddled messages both musically and lyrically. (It doesnt help that the latter track features a cringe-inducing, self-referential "Who disco? Who techno? Who hip-hop? Who bebop?..." shout-out.) The remainder of the album vacillates between pleasant Talking Heads-ish pop ("Walk on Water") and accomplished if out-of-place forays into the Latin avant-garde ("Desconocido Soy"). Its hard to fault Byrne -- who produces an album every three or four years -- for packing as much as he can into one release. So its best to view Look Into the Eyeball for what it is: an entertaining assimilation of the sundry artists and sounds hes gotten into since his last trip into the studio. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 25 Title: Lead Us Not Into Temptation Released: 2003-09-15 Tracks: 15 Duration: 51:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Body in a River (02:53) 2 Mnemonic Discordance (02:43) 3 Seaside Smokes (03:08) 4 Canal Life (02:28) 5 Locks & Barges (02:00) 6 Haitian Fight Song (02:50) 7 Sex on the Docks (04:25) 8 Inexorable (02:20) 9 Warm Sheets (03:01) 10 Dirty Hair (04:48) 11 Bastard (02:57) 12 The Lodger (04:16) 13 Ineluctable (04:20) 14 Speechless (04:04) 15 The Great Western Road (04:44) |
| Lead Us Not Into Temptation : Allmusic album Review : Lead Us Not into Temptation started as music for the film Young Adam, but has evolved to sit somewhere between a true soundtrack and a David Byrne solo album. Since the cast and director of Young Adam were all Scottish, and Byrne himself was born in Scotland, the choice of recording with young Scottish musicians (Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai) appealed to him from a conceptual standpoint, and after director David MacKenzie assembled a listening list, Byrne chose a group of musicians to work with. The end result is that Byrne leaves behind all the international rhythms that have dominated his solo work and turned in an album of moody, subtle beauty. Byrne sketched out some musical ideas to have a framework established, then worked with the Glaswegian musicians to elaborate on the sketches. Oftentimes, this was accomplished by Byrne giving the musicians a set choice of notes to be used on any given piece, but allowing the musicians themselves the decision of what notes to play and when (these sort of chance operations also play a part in both the music of John Cage and Brian Eno, among others). The music often echoes the gloom and dankness of the Scottish climate, sometimes mournful without being depressing or bleak, at other times tempered by a subdued optimism. Strings, piano, and Rhodes rise and fall in the mix, adding impetus to songs that could have too easily become static. Vocals appear only on the last two tracks: "Speechless," with its double-tracked, near unintelligible delivery, and the stately "Great Western Road." The only real departure from the basic mood of the album is a wonderful (albeit brief) arrangement of Mingus "Haitian Fight Song" performed by the Hung Drawn Quintet. Lead Us Not into Temptation is somber and beautiful in a way listeners have not heard from David Byrne, and although he was probably pushed in this direction by the nature of the project, the fact is that this is one of the strongest albums of his solo career. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 25 Title: Grown Backwards Released: 2004-03-15 Tracks: 15 Duration: 58:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Glass, Concrete & Stone (04:13) 2 The Man Who Loved Beer (02:40) 3 Au Fond du Temple Saint (04:49) 4 Empire (04:12) 5 Tiny Apocalypse (04:03) 6 She Only Sleeps (02:57) 7 Dialog Box (03:31) 8 The Other Side of This Life (04:00) 9 Why (02:55) 10 Pirates (03:53) 11 Civilization (03:17) 12 Astronaut (02:55) 13 Glad (01:57) 14 Un di Felice, Eterea (02:55) 15 Lazy (09:36) |
| Grown Backwards : Allmusic album Review : David Byrne, like fellow New York transplant David Bowie, has reached a well-deserved apex in his career. After eight post-Talking Heads solo outings, the eccentric composer, songwriter, artist, and world music entrepreneur has transcended the inconsistencies of his previous efforts and created a genuinely moving and wickedly fun record. Like Bowies Heathen and Reality, Grown Backwards is a mature work by an icon who has come to terms with his past, present, and future, and theres a joy in the simple act of creativity here that gives even the heaviest of subject matter an effervescent charm. Opening with "Glass, Concrete, and Stone," Byrne finds the perfect middle ground between his orchestral epic The Forest and the South American-inspired Rei Momo -- in fact, its the latter that informs many of Backwards arrangements. Texas-based chamber group the Tosca Strings feature on nearly every track, giving the more experimental cuts a much needed fluidity, especially on the arias Un Di Felice, Eterea, from Verdis La Traviata, and Au Fond du Temple Saint, a duet from Bizets The Pearl Fishers. Its no great surprise that the shape-shifting Byrne has chosen opera as his latest foray, but what is surprising is that it works. The Bizet duet in particular, featuring Rufus Wainwright, is lent an emotional resonance by the juxtaposition of the pairs wildly different vocal styles -- when they finally meet in harmony its like two Central Park bums behind Tavern on the Green, clinking their 40-ounce bottles and weeping into a dumpster beneath a sea of summer stars. The wonderfully acerbic "Empire," with its refrain of "The weak among us perish," is Byrne at his political best, emphasizing the "play" in wordplay like a sinister Paul Simon. While by no means a protest record, it bristles with liberal wit and social commentary, especially on the Broadway-style "The Other Side of This Life," a hilarious and scathing jab at the entertainment empires and their minions. "Tiny Apocalypse" finds Byrne at his surreal best, nearly rapping the lyrics "A three-tone carpet and a Jackie Chan spear/lookin at a hairdo and a bellyful of beer/well, I aint no poet, aint got no rhyme/but I got me a car and I know how to drive" over an easy Tropicalia groove. As with many of the prolific artists releases, the record could be trimmed by five or six songs, but fans have grown accustomed to these aberrations -- which are still of higher quality that many in the industry -- and are willing to either let them go or let them grow. While by no means perfect, Grown Backwards is the colorful, multiethnic sound of a New York City enthralled with itself, and like a select few of the Big Apples denizens, Byrne is a perfect conduit for its love. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 25 Title: Live From Austin, Texas Released: 2007-10-02 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:02:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 (Nothing But) Flowers (04:50) 2 Gods Child (04:35) 3 And She Was (03:39) 4 Once In a Lifetime (07:14) 5 The Great Intoxication (04:10) 6 Marching Through the Wilderness (04:19) 7 The Revolution (02:24) 8 This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) (05:50) 9 What a Day That Was (06:51) 10 Desconocido Soy (02:56) 11 Like Humans Do (04:15) 12 Life During Wartime (06:30) 13 I Wanna Dance With Somebody (05:07) |
 | Album: 17 of 25 Title: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Released: 2008-08-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 47:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Home (05:06) 2 My Big Nurse (03:21) 3 I Feel My Stuff (06:25) 4 Everything That Happens (03:46) 5 Life Is Long (03:46) 6 The River (02:31) 7 Strange Overtones (04:17) 8 Wanted for Life (05:06) 9 One Fine Day (04:55) 10 Poor Boy (04:19) 11 The Lighthouse (03:47) |
| Everything That Happens Will Happen Today : Allmusic album Review : The musical reunion between David Byrne and Brian Eno comes with a fair amount of baggage. After all, they produced some of the greatest records in rock history: the trio of Talking Heads records that Eno worked on, culminating in Remain in Light, and followed by the duos My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, where all manner of Afro-funky beats and freaky sampladelic rhythms were wedded to Pentecostal exorcisms and ceremonial bush chants. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is a nearly 180-degree turn from the duos collective musical past. These 11 songs are loopy pop tunes that wed Byrnes strange hearing of gospel and folk to Enos continually evolving rhythmic and electronic palette -- they refer to it as "folk-electronic-gospel." Granted, Enos compositional frameworks are all written in major keys, and Byrnes poetically funny, sophisticated lyrics express possibility and hope in the middle of cultural darkness, but while its clear that the emotional component is shared between the two principals, this is far from "message" music. The set opens with "Home." Strummed acoustic guitars and drum loops textured by sonic wonkery introduce an elegantly simple melody where Byrne, at his full-throated best, sings: "The dimming of the light/Makes the picture clearer...I memorized a face so its not forgotten...Come back anytime/And well mix our lives together/Heaven knows what keeps mankind alive/Every hand -- goes searching for its partner in crime." Brokenness and paradox are also addressed: "Home where my world is breaking in two/Home with the neighbors fighting/Home -- were my parents telling the truth?" Likewise, the title track -- with its warm, liquid guitars, out-of-the-ether sonic architecture, and Byrnes lyric coming from both dream and reflection -- is slower and less jaunty, but poetically moving: "Oh my brother, I still wonder, are you all right/And among the living, we are giving/All through the night...." The backing choral voices give the track its "church" feel, but the message is more human and existential than divinely inspired. Another winner is "Life Is Long," which evokes remembrance as the continuation of the chain of human events. Its horn section touches on soul and rhythm & blues, but is blanched and diluted wonderfully. The only track that consciously attempts the rhythmic complexity of anything on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is "Poor Boy," which is cosmic science-fiction white-boy funk at its best. Its a warning against following the established order and rampant, empty materialism for their own sake -- its guitar riff comes straight from the Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar." Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is, despite the long odds, an inviting, musically satisfying endeavor. It reveals that veteran artists are capable of redefining themselves when refusing to take themselves too seriously. This is unfettered joyful listening. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 25 Title: Big Love: Hymnal Released: 2008-08-19 Tracks: 21 Duration: 40:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Art Thou Greater Than He? (02:06) 2 Exquisite Whiteness (02:04) 3 A Hill in Ontario County (01:25) 4 Written on Golden Plates (02:12) 5 Deep Water (02:07) 6 A Building in the Air (01:14) 7 Great Desolations (02:37) 8 A House on Sand (03:14) 9 The Mouth of Malachi (01:38) 10 Cumorah! (01:14) 11 The Angel Moroni (01:56) 12 Murmur Not (01:14) 13 The Pearl of Great Price (01:25) 14 Language Confounded (02:12) 15 Unclean Spirits (02:13) 16 A Persecution Followed (02:01) 17 The Breastplate of Righteousness (01:32) 18 A Conduit to Heaven (02:37) 19 Cloud of Light (01:25) 20 The Burden of the Word (02:34) 21 Blue Hawaii (01:27) |
| Big Love: Hymnal : Allmusic album Review : Simply put, Big Love: Hymnal is exactly what its title and subtitle -- Music Written for the HBO Series Plus Other Compositions -- claim it to be: serial music to accompany the various episodes from the second season of the cable show that stars Bill Paxton. Devos Mark Mothersbaugh wrote the first season -- and lets just say that in his own contribution, David Byrne is really aware of that fact. Byrne claims he wanted to write a series of "fake" Mormon hymns to accompany the many themes that characters encounter and express, from devotion to jealousy, anger, and betrayal. He initially wrote a number of these grand gestures without seeing a frame of the seasons pictures, but they ended up not being used -- even though he would have allowed the series producers to slice and dice them any way they wished. Byrne claims thats just as well, and punters can decide for themselves since hes included a number of them here as bonus tracks (though youll have to figure out whats what for yourself because the super budget HBO CD package doesnt designate them). Byrne fans will no doubt recognize many of the same tropes hes employed since True Stories. These are mostly clever, short cues, with skeletal organic percussion and electronic drum loops, piano, analog synth, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, a string quartet, and, on some tracks, flügelhorn and French and baritone horns -- those tracks more than likely are the fake hymns. As a total listening experience, this set feels a bit precious. One is painfully aware throughout that this is music to be accompanied by images, and its saturated more or less with rather churchy and often rural themes. Its pleasant for a while, but lightweight, and yet feels like every one of its 41 minutes. Back to Mothersbaugh: Byrne does nod to his peer on some of the quirkier offerings like "A Hill in Ontario County," with its vibes and counterpoint piano lines that have been evocative on Mothersbaughs own work in film and television as well as on Muzik for Insomniaks. Elsewhere, the contrast of sounds, such as those on the synth and drum machine pastiche that forms the core of "Deep Water," is underscored by electric guitars and a rather polka-like bassline to offer a kind of winking grin that this is supposed to be humorous. The subtly shifting timbres in "Murmur Not" are among the most beautiful on the set, where nocturnal keyboards and glockenspiel are wedded to deep unidentifiable bass effects, strings, and a gorgeous cascading woodwind sound. The bottom line? You either have to be a Byrne enthusiast (or perhaps a bit of a fanatic) to find this set of compositions engaging in its own right, or addicted to very specifically themed cinematically inspired music, to truly appreciate whats on offer here. One does have to wonder, however: if it werent Byrne who scored this set, but someone of lesser renown, would this disc have been released at all? | ||
 | Album: 19 of 25 Title: Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour Released: 2009-05-13 Tracks: 4 Duration: 19:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Strange Overtones (live) (04:38) 2 Help Me Somebody (live) (03:28) 3 One Fine Day (live) (04:34) 4 I Feel My Stuff (live) (06:30) |
 | Album: 20 of 25 Title: Live at Carnegie Hall Released: 2012-03-13 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:10:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Desde Que o Samba é Samba (04:48) 2 Você é Linda (04:09) 3 Sampa (03:52) 4 O Leãozinho (03:05) 5 Coração Vagabundo (02:55) 6 Manhatã (04:10) 7 The Revolution (02:31) 8 Everyones in Love with You (01:50) 9 And She Was (03:56) 10 She Only Sleeps (03:22) 11 Life During Wartime (04:19) 12 Gods Child (04:27) 13 Road to Nowhere (03:43) 14 Dreamworld: Marco de Canaveses (04:54) 15 Um Canto de Afoxé para o Bloco do Ilê (03:34) 16 (Nothing but) Flowers (04:58) 17 Terra (05:54) 18 Heaven (03:56) |
| Live at Carnegie Hall : Allmusic album Review : Longtime friends and collaborators Caetano Veloso and David Byrne joined forces for a special Carnegie Hall concert broadcast on National Public Radio in the spring of 2004. Eight years later, Live at Carnegie Hall is released, containing highlights from this stripped-down, primarily acoustic meeting of one of Tropicalias biggest artists with one of the pillars of art rock. Sequenced in the order the concert was played, the disc begins with a solo set by Veloso ending with his cover of the Talking Heads "The Revolution" to segue into Byrnes set. While not exactly a hushed affair, theres a quietly breezy feeling throughout the recording. Velosos incredibly smooth voice is the definition of Brazilian pop: laid-back and welcoming at all times. Even singing the comparatively bouncy "O Leãozinho," his voice lilts gently around the songs rigid curves. Languid ballads like "Sampa" and "Coração Vagabundo" breathe with an effortless beauty and the stark yet satisfying instrumentation of Velosos plucked nylon-string guitar and occasional accompaniment by cellist Jacques Morelenbaum. Also in the mix is percussionist Mauro Refosco providing understated rhythms for both artists sets. The discs second half finds Byrne struggling against uprooting the low-lit vibe laid down by Veloso. While performing in a mode decidedly less turgid than normal, even his takes on mellower Talking Heads classics like "And She Was" or "Heaven" sound especially rock when compared to his concert-mates staid performance. Rompers like "Life During Wartime" stick out, seeming a little lost; not quiet enough for spartan acoustic ambience and not loud enough for even a spirited unplugged reading. Byrne admitted in interviews he was "extremely nervous" about the concert and his jitters are evidenced by the occasional flubbed guitar chord or slightly rushed vocal delivery. Given his pedigree of quirk, these flaws read more endearing than ham-fisted, especially in the intimate context of an acoustic performance. The disc is pretty standard fare up until the final four or five tracks, where the two come together to duet on each others songs. Its in these tracks that Live at Carnegie Hall really becomes transcendent. Long influenced and inspired by each other, Byrne and Veloso seem genuinely thrilled to be in each others presence musically. Byrnes soft vocal augmentation on "Ilê Aiyê" seems reverent and humble and seconds later, Velosos unfamiliar voice delivering lines about 7-11s and chocolate chip cookies on Byrnes lyrically goofy "(Nothing But) Flowers" is downright cute. While the two dont always match up exactly in terms of presentation, by the end, Byrnes nerdy rock and Velosos airy sonnets prove highly complementary to each other, especially in tandem. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 25 Title: Love This Giant Released: 2012-09-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 44:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Who (03:49) 2 Weekend in the Dust (03:07) 3 Dinner for Two (03:42) 4 Ice Age (03:13) 5 I Am an Ape (03:05) 6 The Forest Awakes (04:52) 7 I Should Watch TV (03:08) 8 Lazarus (03:13) 9 Optimist (03:49) 10 Lightning (04:15) 11 The One Who Broke Your Heart (03:46) 12 Outside of Space & Time (04:18) |
| Love This Giant : Allmusic album Review : Its not surprising that David Byrne and St. Vincents Annie Clark were drawn to work together. While theyre hardly sound-alikes, they are both keen but somewhat detached observers of the human condition who make music thats equally cerebral and passionate. However, it is somewhat surprising to learn that they created their collaboration Love This Giant largely online, meeting in the studio together with their team of musicians and producers a handful of times during the albums three-year gestation period, because theyre on such a harmonious wavelength throughout it. Though the albums brass-driven sound suggests Byrnes post-Talking Heads work more than St. Vincents guitar acrobatics (Clark fans may be disappointed that her playing is relegated to the sidelines here, albeit artfully so), it was actually Clarks idea to write these songs for a brass band when the project began as a handful of songs the duo was going to perform in a bookstore. At any rate, trying to dissect the collaborations inner workings is beside the point when the whole is this dazzlingly creative. While Love This Giant might not be a true concept album, Byrne and Clark explore the themes of individuality, community, love, and death with a thoroughness and cohesiveness that suggests otherwise, and together they push each other into creative spaces they might not have explored on their own. Clark takes a funky turn on "Weekend in the Dust," where her singing mirrors the angular brass stabs behind her as beats whirr and tick like wind-up toys, and delivers some of her most vulnerable vocals on the expansive "Optimist," one of the most unabashed love songs to New Yorks potential since "Empire State of Mind." However, its Byrne who sounds most revitalized by all the creativity flowing through Love This Giant, whether on the jaunty album opener "Who," the whimsical character study "I Am an Ape," or the celebratory "The One Who Broke Your Heart," which drafts the Dap-Kings and Antibalas to help him and Clark dance on their troubles. The album peaks with back-to-back highlights from the duo: "The Forest Awakes" lets Clark unleash her formidable fretwork over a relentlessly marching beat and strings and woodwinds, suggesting a particularly audacious St. Vincent track, while "I Should Watch TV" sets classic Byrne observations ("How are you?"/"Not like me") to alternately jarring and jubilant brass. For all the braininess and wildness on display, theres also a sweetness to the album, particularly on "Outside of Space and Time," which sings the praises of physics-defying devotion. Given all the things Byrne and Clark pack into Love This Giant, its a remarkably catchy and concise set of songs featuring some of the most vibrant work that either one of them has produced. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 25 Title: Brass Tactics Released: 2013-05-27 Tracks: 5 Duration: 18:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Cissus (03:14) 2 I Should Watch TV (M. Stine remix) (03:32) 3 Lightning (Kent Rockafeller remix) (03:13) 4 Marrow (03:47) 5 Road to Nowhere (04:28) |
 | Album: 23 of 25 Title: Here Lies Love Released: 2014-05-06 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:23:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 American Troglodyte (02:09) 2 Here Lies Love (04:06) 3 Child of the Philippines (03:13) 4 Opposite Attraction (02:22) 5 The Rose of Tacloban (02:55) 6 A Perfect Hand (04:46) 7 Eleven Days (02:59) 8 When She Passed By (03:15) 9 Sugartime Baby (02:53) 10 Walk Like a Woman (02:19) 11 Don’t You Agree? / Pretty Face (03:37) 12 Dancing Together (02:51) 13 The Fabulous One (03:04) 14 Men Will Do Anything (02:54) 1 Star and Slave (03:06) 2 Poor Me (02:53) 3 Please Don’t (03:24) 4 Solano Avenue (03:16) 5 Riots and Bombs (00:54) 6 Order 1081 (04:29) 7 Seven Years (04:12) 8 Gate 37 (02:39) 9 Just Ask the Flowers (04:25) 10 Why Don’t You Love Me? (03:04) 11 God Draws Straight (04:17) 12 Here Lies Love (curtain call) (03:18) |
| Here Lies Love : Allmusic album Review : A concept album based around the lives of Imelda Marcos and her nanny Estrella Cumpas, David Byrne and Fatboy Slims (Norman Cook) Here Lies Love is primarily a great pop record featuring a bevy of name female vocalists. Grand conceptual themes aside, Byrne, Slim, and Slim cohort Tom Gandey (aka Cagedbaby) have delivered a kooky, fun, theatrical, and -- more often than not -- deliriously listenable collection of 70s and 80s club pop. Inspired by a disparate set of sources, not the least of which included his reading of Ryszard Kapuscinskis book The Emperor as well as various reports detailing the former First Lady of the Philippines penchant for disco and club life, Byrne formulated this would-be stage production based around the notion -- as he says in the liner notes -- of the "bubble worlds of the rich and powerful" set to the popular sounds (disco, soul, Latin beats, cabaret) of Marcos time in power. While there is no dialogue in this production, Byrne has crafted each track throughout the album to tell the story and evoke the emotional state of Marcos and her longtime nanny Cumpas emotional state. And while the story hangs together quite well, the main impression you are left with is that Byrne and Slim have impeccable taste in female singers. Here we get British songstress Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) delivering the title prologue track, an anthemic disco-inflected number that recalls any number of Studio 54 diva hits. Similarly, Tori Amos takes on the role of Marcos mother, Remedios, on the eerie flamenco-infused "Youll Be Taken Care Of." Along the way you get 80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, alt-country-rocker Allison Moorer, Irish soul siren Roisin Murphy, Philly punk-dance singer Santigold, Natalie Merchant, Nellie McKay, Martha Wainwright, Sharon Jones, and others. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 25 Title: The Remix Collection From Here Lies Love Released: 2016-04-01 Tracks: 14 Duration: 46:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The World Isn’t Perfect (Ladies in Blue remix) (02:52) 2 It’s So Hot Today (How Are You remix) (02:41) 3 Here Lies Love (Club Millennium remix) (03:37) 4 Watching History (When She Passed By remix) (03:36) 5 Disco With George (Dancing Together remix) (03:03) 6 Puffy White Clouds (Sugartime Baby remix) (03:10) 7 Please Do (Please Don’t remix) (02:49) 8 Oooooooh! (Child of the Philippines remix) (02:53) 9 Fabulous Yellow Pills (Walk Like a Woman remix) (03:42) 10 Good, Good, Good (The Whole Man remix) (03:41) 11 Oh, Imelda (Poor Me remix) (03:47) 12 Sing for Them (Here Lies Love / Every Drop of Rain remix) (03:49) 13 Solano Avenue Shakedown (Solano Avenue remix) (03:12) 14 Precious Little Children (You’ll Be Taken Care Of remix) (03:22) |
 | Album: 25 of 25 Title: American Utopia Released: 2018-03-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Dance Like This (03:33) 2 Gasoline and Dirty Sheets (03:19) 3 Every Day Is a Miracle (04:46) 4 Dog’s Mind (02:29) 5 This Is That (04:31) 6 It’s Not Dark Up Here (04:10) 7 Bullet (03:09) 8 Doing the Right Thing (03:38) 9 Everybody’s Coming to My House (03:29) 10 Here (04:13) |
| American Utopia : Allmusic album Review : "Is this meant ironically? Is it a joke? Do I mean this seriously? In what way?" David Byrne seems to be simultaneously inviting and acknowledging some likely reactions to his 2018 album, American Utopia, in his own liner notes. At a time when America has been thrown into a state of chaos -- something Byrne witnessed and creatively reacted to as an artist during the Reagan era -- here he imagines what appears to be an alternate version of the United States and the people who live in it. (Animals, too -- a variety of critters pop up in "Every Day Is a Miracle," and "Dogs Mind" imagines how our canine friends view the world.) Not everything in Byrnes Bizarro World America is a good time, especially on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "This Is That." But much of this album portrays folks who are both dazzled and overwhelmed by the abundant possibilities presented in "Its Not Dark Up Here," "Everybodys Coming to My House," and "I Dance Like This." American Utopia began as a series of rhythm tracks created by Brian Eno, which Byrne then fashioned into songs, with a variety of other collaborators reshaping the results, including co-producers Rodaidh McDonald and Patrick Dillett and musicians Daniel Lopatin, Thomas Bartlett, and Joey Waronker. The final product is a sonic crazy quilt thats rich and evocative, by turns ominous and seductive, and the stylistic shape-shifting that dominates these tracks suits the many moods of Byrnes characters very well indeed. In concept, American Utopia bears faint resemblance to the cheerfully odd average Americans who populated Talking Heads 1986 album True Stories (and Byrnes accompanying feature film), but this albums wit is more pointed, the tone is cooler and less secure, and the cumulative effect less joyous and a bit more puzzled about what awaits us with the next dawn. American Utopia is an album of beautiful and witty surfaces stretched over a sea of troubled waters, and if Byrne is rarely inclined to give direct answers to the questions he asks, its obvious this isnt a joke, its an ambitious work from an important American artist. | ||