Allow me to say that I only vaguely knew who David Byrne was until he appeared on The Colbert Report last 22 March to play a song from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (you can listen to the entire album for free), the second album he made in collaboration with Brian Eno. It’s an album with a blend of electronic and Gospel music, which Brian Eno describes as “music in which singing becomes the central event, but whose sonic landscapes are atypical of such vocal-centered tracks.”

After an interview with Stephen Colbert, David Byrne performed “Life is Long,” a song that’s become one of my favorites. I could play it on loop for a day and never get tired of it.

Here’s another video of David Byrne performing “One Fine Day.”

In the last post, I said that Byrne has a way of incorporating the world around him into his own work. And he doesn’t do it small, quiet ways. Take for examples his Playing the Building series which started in Stockholm, Sweden in 2005. Byrne describes the series as follows:

"Playing the Building" at the Roundhouse in London

“Playing the Building is a sound installation in which the infrastructure, the physical plant of the building, is converted into a giant musical instrument. Devices are attached to the building structure — to the metal beams and pillars, the heating pipes, the water pipes — and are used to make these things produce sound. The activations are of three types: wind, vibration, striking. The devices do not produce sound themselves, but they cause the building elements to vibrate, resonate and oscillate so that the building itself becomes a very large musical instrument.”

Musical may not be the best word to base your expectations off of but it is very large. In 2008 Byrne re-envisioned the installation a the Battery Maritime Building in New York City, and he has just put the finishing touches on the installation at the Roundhouse in London (see above).

These installations produce some fantastic sounds. For example, listen to Robert Gomez’s haunting “Hunting Song“ which uses samples taken from the installation in New York.

David Byrne and company on office chairs

In the meantime David Byrne is finding new ways to occupy his minimal free time between shuttling back and forth across the pond to work on Playing the Building while touring for his new album Everything That Happens Happens Today, which includes dances choreographed on office chairs.

He has also been heavily involved in the developing indie music scene. His record label Luaka Bop signed Os Mutantes in 2006, a band that was originally formed in 1966, but shut down after 12 years and has now found new legs [download their latest single "Teclar" here].

He has also collaborated recently with The Brighton Port Authority (BPA), Fatboy Slim’s side project that just released their first album I Think We’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat (2008). Byrne sings on the song “Toe Jam” also featuring Dizzee Rascal, which is definitely a heavenly pairing. The video for the song, which you can find in the “This Week” section has plenty of nudity – but it’s still kid-friendly due to jolly black bars that dance around the screen with the music. Check it out!

A still from the "Toe Jam" video

And, perhaps most surprisingly, David Byrne has lent his voice to North America South America (better known as N.A.S.A.) for two songs, “Money” and “The People Tree” for their record The Spirit of Apollo which was released in February of this year. With these songs, it seems that N.A.S.A. has brought out Byrne’s subversive nature once again – something that can be better explained by watching the music videos found in the “This Week” page.

"Bicycle Diaries" by David Byrne

David Byrne is looking as fit as ever and he’s not slowing down. He  just released a book called Bicycle Diaries that chronicles his travels and thoughts while biking and designed a series of funky bike racks for NYC. He also had a full-length article in Wired magazine last year about the ins and outs of the music industry. It’s really fascinating and has lots of interesting clips of Byrne talking with people from the industry including Brian Eno. While you’re there, look for his interview with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke from the same issue. And if you have the desire to stalk him even more like a psycho killer you can follow his day-to-day activities in his online journal. Happy hunting!

Oh, and one last thing:

David Byrne

We all know David Byrne as the wildly animate singer of the Talking Heads, who’s carefree singing kept people talking about the Talking Heads long after the 80’s were over. But what some people may not know is that David Byrne has had one of the most prolific and varied careers long after the last Talking Heads record, Naked, was released in 1988.

To give a brief background of Mr. Byrne – he was born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1952. He moved to Canada when he was two, and by age five he had taught himself to play the accordion. At 9 his family had moved to Boston, and by the time he enrolled in high school he had picked up the guitar and violin as well. Andrew Bird, eat your heart out.

But David Byrne is not only a passionate lover of music, he is as accomplished a visual artist as a sonic one. For a year, he took art classes at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, and then dropped out due to the fact that he thought the classes weren’t worth the money. However, the school was invaluable to him in that it brought him together with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth who would form the Talking Heads with Jerry Harrison.

From left to right: Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Byrne, and Tina Weymouth

During the band’s more than fifteen-year run from their first show in 1975 until they broke up in 1991, Byrne was extremely busy. Among other things, he directed all of the Talking Heads’ music videos, created the score for “The Catherine Wheel” a ballet choreographed by Twyla Tharp and formed the record label Luaka Bop – which highlights Brazilian pop artists.

After the Talking Heads’ official break-up, David Byrne created a series of albums – many of them having Latin themes or even Spanish language lyrics. In 2002, he released the record Uh-Oh, the cover of which shows a choir of angels surrounding a cartoon dog seated on a heavenly throne.

"Uh-Oh" by David Byrne

On his website all Byrne offers about the record is that “funk and Latin grooves were combined together”, but any combination of ago-go bells and bass clarinet, like this record has deserves a listen. “Now I’m Your Mom”, the first track on the album has lyrics that will both amaze and shock you:

David Byrne has a way of absorbing everything around him and then incorporating what he collects into his own re-creations of the world. He playfully nudges religion in “A Walk in the Dark” off of the same album (and also throws in some more bass clarinet to boot):

"Look Into the Eyeball" by David Byrne

Byrne continued this trend in a later solo project called Look Into the Eyeball (2001). The slick song U.B. Jesus proclaims

But David Byrne has mellowed out a little but with his most recent record Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008). For the recording he teamed up again with British rocker Brian Eno, who played with the Talking Heads from 1978 to 1982. The album is more probing than anything else David Byrne has done since the Talking Heads and is fatalist in a Donnie Darko sort of way. You can listen to the whole album here.

Byrne and Brian Eno

Ok, so more David Byrne to come in the next post! Including recent developments with N.A.S.A., the music group (not to be confused with the makers of the vomit comet) and Fatboy Slim’s band the BPA.

DAVID BYRNE ON TOUR – songs of david byrne and brian eno

O incrível David Byrne – ex-Talking Heads voltou a trabalhar com o grande Brian Eno em 2008, com o lançamento do disco “Everything that happens will happen TODAY”, primeiro trampo juntos em 30 anos.

Com a boa recepção do disco, o Tour 2008/2009, girou em torno dos projetos realizados  em conjunto, englobando o disco novo, os 3 discos dos Talking Heads em que colaboraram (“More Songs About Buildings and Food”, “Fear of Music” e “Remain in Light”) e o álbum clássico da dupla “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”.

Desse re-encontro surgiu o tour mais bem sucedido da carreira solo de David Byrne, que já no seu final terá shows nesse fim de semana na Escócia (08-Ago em Edimburgo) e Inglaterra (09-Ago em Ledbury).

Vamos torcer para que surjam datas para o Brasil nesse semestre, desse show que já entrou na Wish List do Blog Vishows.

Confiram o poder do show com o Set List de apresentação realizada em 22-Julho (09) em Ferrara na Itália:
1. Strange Overtones
2. I Zimbra
3. One Fine Day
4. Help Me Somebody
5. Houses in Motion
6. My Big Nurse
7. My Big Hands
8. Heaven
9. Air
10. The River
11. Life is Long
12. Cross-eyed and Painless
13. Born Under Punches
14. Once in a Lifetime
15. Life During Wartime
16. I Feel My Stuff
17. Take Me to River
18. The Great Curve
19. Road to Nowhere
20. Burning Down the House
21. Everything That Happens

CURTAM O VÍDEO – DO CARA MANDANDO “BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE” nesse Ano em Utrecht/Holanda.

In 1975, David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz hit the stage for the first time as Talking Heads. This just so happened to be at the legendary CBGB’s opening for The Ramones. Shortly after Jerry Harrison joined in 76′, the group was signed by Sire Records and released their first single “Love Building On Fire” and eventually their first album titled Talking Heads: 77. Producer Brian Eno joined forces with Talking Heads in 1978 for their second album, and would continue work with Eno until they parted ways in the early 80’s. The band would release a total of 8 albums together until their official split in 91′. Everyone went their own ways musically, Frantz and Weymouth were married and formed Tom Tom Club, while Harrison became a producer. Byrne his solo career, he had worked on a solo album with Eno back in 81′ titled My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. They joined forces again last year with Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.

Talking Heads – Psycho Killer

Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)

Desde abril de 2004 que David Byrne não toca em Portugal. Em Abril de 2009, o ex-Talking Heads regressa para um concerto único no Coliseu dos Recreios. “Eu e o Brian Eno terminámos recentemente um projecto em conjunto, o primeiro em 30 anos. Este álbum chama-se Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Na sua maior parte, contém música do Brian, com outras minhas que também assino as letras e dou a voz. Não é uma novidade mas é uma novidade. Estamos muito contentes com o resultado.”, David Byrne. O primeiro álbum de Eno e Byrne data de 1981, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Vinte e sete anos depois, no seguimento de um jantar de amigos, surge uma nova oportunidade para um novo projecto. Eno tinha acumulado bastante música, que nunca havia transformado em canções; Byrne ofereceu-se para tentar. Concentrados nas suas áreas, depressa perceberam estar a desenvolver uma sonoridade no campo do gospel electrónico, onde a voz tinha o papel principal mas em que a melodia não era a habitual neste género musical. Esta combinação não desagradava uma vez que ambos são, desde há muito, apaixonados por gospel. O resultado chama-se Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, e tem estado em digressão desde o Outono nos Estados Unidos e Austrália, vindo para a Europa no início de 2009. A palco com David Byrne (voz e guitarra) sobem Mark Degli Antoni (teclado), Paul Frazier (baixo), Mauro Refosco (percurssão) e Graham Hawthorne (bateria) e ainda 3 bailarinos e um coro composto por Kaissa, Redray Frazier e Jenni Muldaur. Embora sem Brian Eno, o concerto agendado para hoje, 28 de Abril, no Coliseu dos Recreios, promete satisfazer todos os fãs nacionais que há muito anseiam por rever David Byrne!

Site: David Byrne

Site MySpace: David Byrne

David Byrne – This Must Be The Place

Vorrei esprimere un parere professionale sullo show di David Byrne ieri sera alla Royal Festival Hall: MA CHE FIGATA!!!Nella prima mezzoretta tutti ballavamo compostamente seduti, ammirando lo spettacolo di coerografia sul palco: tre bellerini + 3 coristi-bellerini e quel folle di Byrne che guidava il tutto. A tratti sembrava quasi che la musica divenisse materia, spostata dai gesti, spesso meccanici dei ballerini da un lato all’altro del teatro o dallo stesso Byrne che la scagliava addosso direttamente dalla sua stratocaster. Poi  non abbiamo resistito e ci siamo catapultati sotto il palco a ballare. Intorno guardavo divertita gente dell’età dei miei genitori con pettinature alla Paul Weller, che si dimenava impazzita. Vedere da meno di un metro di distanza David Byrne che canta tutti i successi scritti con il piccolo Brian è stato uno di quei momenti in cui metti una tacca sulla lista delle “cosa da fare prima di schiattare”. Non solo i pezzi più famosi scritti per i Talking Heads, come Burning down the house, Take me to the River and so on, ma anche quelli di My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, quell’album assurdo del ‘81 che li incoronava pionieri di un cross over tra musica africana, electronica, funk e chissà cos’altro. 

Oggi, dopo trentanni buoni, la collaborazione aritstica tra i due riprende con l’album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today in uscita il prossimo agosto. Musica di Brian Eno, parole di David Byrne. La title track è una splendida ballata con una genialata di testo che ti rimane in addosso anche dopo un solo ascolto.  Ieri sera di ballate ce ne sono state solo un paio, il resto è stata una scarica di successi allucinante… ma quanti gruppi ha ispirato questo pazzoide col tutù? Che comunque solo lui riesce a indossare con tanta dignità. Forse avrebbe potuto fare più dei suoi assoli super angolari alla chitarra ma vabò lo show è stato lo stesso fantastico, scandito da una voce impeccabile con un timbro unico…  Once in a lifetime, water falling underground! 

A significant shuffle of priorities has long delayed me from finishing my project to document every single album I bought in 2008 (for example, real life and things on cats). But always the completist, I will bring this to a close…a quarter of the way through 2009.

• Andrew Daly – Nine Sweaters There was a funny comedian on Mad TV. Too bad he wasn’t allowed to be funny. Freed from that show’s painful banality, Andrew gets his laughs solo with longform occasionally subtle (and mostly obscene) character routines inspired by wearing 1 of 9 distinctive sweaters. Although you can’t see the sweaters (it being a recording and all) the characterizations are rich enough to imagine the sweaters. DO NOT listen to it with grandma. Or do, pervert.
• Blue Giant – Target Heart EP A kinda pacific northwest supergroup: the Viva Voce couple with help from members of the Decemberists, Circus Lupus, Swords Project, Sleater-Kinney and Bradford Cox. But mostly, its Viva Voce on an alt-country kick. Which is awesome. The distinctive vocals and swaying guitar, filled out with the pedal steel, organ and fiddle. Also, stars in the Blue Giant phase are middle-aged massive stars in a transitionary period prior to becoming either a planet nebula or a supergiant.
• David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today I haven’t yet learned to fully appreciate Byrne or Eno*, supergiants in a music universe I mostly like. And I don’t think I’m helping myself by starting with this album. It’s fine and there are some nice weird parts. But overall it’s a little too adult contemporary for me to be comfortable about it. That could be just because I’m uncomfortable being adult now.
• Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life I freaking love it. Takes me back to the smart hardcore or Fugazi or Negative Approach. And still, they manage melodies and some neat uses of not-hardcore instruments. (Is that a flute in the beginning?). Father Damien’s vocals come in like the earth is opening up. Takes me back to high school, driving nowhere in small messy cars and watching other people smoke.
• Dr. Dog – Fate It’s alright. They’re the Band, at an impressionable age, teleported to our time and embracing modern weirdness. Nonetheless, a step up from the last album.
• Grouper – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill For those who can’t keep up with Beach House, Grouper might be the perfect porridge for you. Reverbed drenched vocals moving at a somnolent snail’s pace…like actually dragging a dead deer up a hill. I have yet been able to listen all the way through without a dose. So also perfect for insomniacs.
• Hercules And Love Affair – Hercules And Love Affair I’ve made a significant investment in my attempt to appreciate Antony Hegarty. I’m not there yet. It’s always overkill with that ridiculous vibrato. And yet I have 7 albums of this. The disco beats here breaks it up a bit. 
• Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue I don’t think I like this. Loved the Rabbit Fur Coat, and I can even defend that last Rilo Kiley album. But this one’s annoying. Is it a joke? That “Where’s Fernando?” song puts me through the roof. Along with “Bad Man’s World,” “The Next Messiah” (8 and half minutes and it has Elvis Costello) and “Jack Killed Mom”…yech. A lot of stinkers here. I’m still onboard with Jenny, but slowly shuffling exitward.
• Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak I’m sorry, it’s awesome. A part from the irony of his critique of consumerism turned into a product (unlike Tim Fite and his excellent Over the Counterculture, Kanye’s not giving it away).
• Love Is All – A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night Oh, it’s fun. But it’s not for the ages. And I do not need to have fun.
• Marching Band – Sparks Large It’s just so nice. I bet these guys wear sweater V-necks and drop people off at airports. I like it because I think they’re nice. But not enough to give them a ride to the airport.
• Richard Swift – Ground Trouble Jaw EP Indie do-wop? Who knew?
• Rodriguez – Cold Fact Supposedly buried treasure from the 70’s and I’m not one to appreciate buried treasures from the seventies. But this one’s alight.
• School Of Seven Bells – Alpinisms It sounds like the brother from the Secret Machines hooks up with Au Revoir Simone. And half of that’s true. Also, this album compels and bores the same ways of the Secret Machines and Au Revoir Simone.
• The Faint – Fascination Not as great as Danse Macabre or even Wet from Birth. Nonetheless all the elements are same and it still does what a Faint album is supposed to do. Which are good things.
• The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound If Plato was ever to try to identify the ideal Jersey Band, I think the Gaslight Anthem are pretty much it. Other Jersey bands are only Jersey bands insofar as they share characteristics with this Jersey Band. Epic blue collar anthems from shore trash. Love it.
• The Mae Shi – Hlllyh More ecstatic high-energy youth ranting. Does not suit my rocking chair at all. I won’t be seeking any of these tracks in the ever-accumulating clutter of my digital music library. But if one happens to come up in the shuffle, I won’t skip it. Unless I’m in my rocking chair.
• The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns Sounds a little too much like Neutral Milk Hotel. So much so it feels more like theft than homage.
• Why? – Alopecia This is awesome. Cool beats. Smart rhymes. Self-deprecating white boys being inventive.
• Women – Women I like the weird catchiness of the album. I even like the experimental parts. And I really like how the entire album hangs together. It’s one of those strange small albums I cherish, like the Ruby Suns’ Sea Lion I got earlier this year.
• Camera Obscura – Underachievers Please Try Harder From a few years ago. I realized I hadn’t bought a Comera Obscura in a while. So buying an old one will do. No surprise. It’s great.
• Isobel Campbell – Sunday At Devil Dirt The 3rd Mark Lanegan album I managed to buy in this year alone. But once you get past his cheesy growl, you appreciate that its more about Isobell Campbell. And it’s to its tremendous benefit.
• The Delgados – The Great Eastern An old album from a band I don’t know I was compelled to buy for no other reason than I thought it might be good. Actually, it happens to be the second back catalogue album from a Scottish band I bought this month (see Camera Obscura). Seems to be a good strategy.
• Starling Electric – Clouded Staircase Sound like Guided by Voices, but with longer songs. I like it.

There it is. All the albums I bought in 2008. All 176, give or take (but mostly give). Did I learn anything? Do I appreciate more? Maybe, but I’m not consuming less. So far I’ve already long surpassed my 2008 number and it’s only early April (but I’m doing much less buying…I’ve discovered the library, much to the librarians’ chagrin).

The more I have the more I want. Alas, it seems I’m like everyone else.

*This was written 3 months ago. I have since come to appreciate Eno and Byrne in their individual distinctive greatness. Buy Here Come the Warm Jets and Another Green World and Remain in Light.

For all of you Dallasites that think all the good shows happen in New York or L.A., stop your bitching because David Byrne has just announced a new date in his tour. On Sunday June 14th Byrne will be performing at Dallas’ historic Majestic Theater in support of his latest collaboration with Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Tickets go on sale Saturday March 14th and this is guaranteed to sell out quickly. Neither the Majestic Theater’s nor Byrne’s website have not been updated for the new date but when tickets are able to be purchased you will be able to find them here.

I Feel My Stuff – David Byrne & Brian Eno
Strange Overtones – David Byrne & Brian Eno

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is what I think everyone was expecting to hear when Brian Eno and David Byrne first announced that they would be collaborating on an album back in 1981: Byrne’s off kilter melodies complimented by Eno’s glittering production. Instead, the two chose to go out on a limb and create an incredibly revolutionary record which stands out as a high point in the history of pop music today.

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts was probably my first positive encounter with experimental sample based music, and as such it holds a special place in my heart. When I first heard that Byrne and Eno would be collaborating again, I was hopeful that they would again push the boundaries of what is considered to be “Pop Music,” helping to redefine its possibilities and potential as they had done before.

Due to such massive expectations, the new record was a bit of a let down upon first lesson. However, after adjusting my ears and ideas about what the album “should” sound like, I’ve come to really enjoy it. I italicize enjoy because generally speaking I’m not looking for simple enjoyment in the music I listen to. There is no catharsis here, no visceral response, no shocking new sonic exploration. It is merely scratch that, wonderfully a set of pop songs. Simple chord progressions, quirky melodies, and David Byrne’s singular voice. Eno’s production is gorgeous; layer upon layer of synthesizers, percussion and subtle effects are applied with the precision of a true master.

These aren’t the songs you’ll hear on the radio, but they are most certainly pop songs. Every single one could be someone’s favourite. Every chorus is hummable, and yet never does the album feel tired, cliched, or trite. No deep emotions are played with, no tears shed; this is the music of a summer day spent on your bicycle, the music of drinking in the park at night when you were sixteen. Not that I think it would really appeal to drunken teenagers, but it captures the feeling of that mythic past. Not nostalgic per se but it actually feels like a memory.

Since the record fails to produce any real clichés, I’ll provide one by ending with a quote:

Live fast, die happy,
Don’t let your panties show.
They trust market forces,
it’s the only song they know.

[Thanks Dad.]

Here are a list of some Australian gigs happening this month that I recommend. Hopefully I’ll be able to repeat this kind of thing once a month and make it more comprehensive.

Acid Mothers Guru Guru (dates)

Alice in Chains - Soundwave Sideshow (dates)

Black Mountain (dates)

Chick Corea and John McLaughlin 5 Piece Band (dates)

Crabsmasher (dates)

Cult of Luna supported by Laura (dates)

Damo Suzuki [ex-Can] (dates)

David Byrne (dates)

The Dillinger Escape Plan, Poison the Well, Every Time I Die and Evergreen Terrace - Soundwave Festival Sideshow (dates)

El-P (dates)

For Tet – Laneway Sideshows (dates)

Inappropriate Tough Guy Behaviour (dates)

Kid Koala (dates)

Lamb of God – Soundwave Sideshow (dates)

Laneway Festival featuring, amongst others, Stereolab, Pivot, The Drones, Jay Reatard, For Tet and No Age (dates)

Leonard Cohen (dates)

Monarch (dates)

Nine Inch Nails – Soundwave Festival Sideshow (dates)

Propaghandi (dates)

Scissor Lock (dates)

Soundwave Festival featuring, amongst others, Nine Inch Nails, Alice in Chains, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Lamb of God, Poison the Well and Every Time I Die (dates)

Stereolab – Laneway Sideshows (dates)

Summer Tones Festival featuring, amongst others, Dan Deacon, Beaches, High Places, Lawrence Arabia and Mark Barrage (dates)

Send your listings to adrianclement (at) me (dot) com.

photo of Baltimore, MD show in September 2008

Last night, I had the great pleasure of seeing one of the best showmen in music, David Byrne in Charlotte, NC. Byrne, former front man of the Talking Heads, is touring in support of his newest collaboration with Brian Eno called Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, a really great record released this year. Byrne was accompanied by a band comprised of a bassist, keyboardist, drummer, percussionist/multi-instrumentalist, three back-up singers, and three dancers–all of them clad completely in white.

As you probably know from the Talking Heads videos, Byrne is a very visually-oriented person–trained in the visual arts, in fact. He is putting his know-how to great use in this tour as the lighting work is fantastic and the dancers throw down dance moves that are as delightfully awkward as Byrne’s vocal delivery. Byrne joins in on the dancing quite bit himself as well.

The show was billed as “The Music of David Byrne and Brian Eno,” allowing them to play anything from the two albums that Byrne and Eno have made together as well as the Talking Heads albums which were produced by Eno: More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light.

The set was split up between Talking Heads songs and songs from the new album–however, it seemed to weigh a little heavy on older stuff, which the crowd loved. Byrne and Co. played some classics like “I Zimbra,” “Houses in Motion,” “Take Me to the River,” “Air,” “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Heaven.” There were also one or two songs from other Byrne/Eno collaborations like 1981’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. And they played some tunes from the new record including “My Big Nurse,” “Strange Overtones,” and “I Feel My Stuff.”

The show was amazing–every song adapted really well to a live performance. The entire vibe of the show changed when they played “Once in a Lifetime” a little over halfway through their set. Everyone in the multi-generational crowd was up on their feet–dancing and singing–and they stayed there for almost the rest of the evening.

Here is a video of “Once in a Lifetime” from the Boston show on 10.31.08.

For the first encore, they played a wonderful rendition of “Take Me to the River.”

For the second encore, they played another classic, “Air.”

After this, we thought we might have to leave without hearing “Burning Down the House,” which we feared might not be eligible since it is not a Byrne/Eno composition. The house lights stayed down, the crowd was going nuts and Byrne, band, and dancers appeared on stage again. We hoped. We prayed. As the first notes of it began to play the place went berserk. As soon as the singing started the house lights came up and we could see that everyone in the room was singing, screaming, and dancing. It was one of the best audiences I’ve ever seen. He literally burned the house down–it is no longer there. In video below, he’s wearing some kind of mask, at our show he and everyone else on stage were wearing tutus.

Here’s “Burning Down the House” from the Boston show:

Take a look around Youtube and you can find various videos from recent shows of almost all the songs mentioned above. Also, take a listen to the newest Byrne/Eno album–you can stream it for free at there website: http://www.everythingthathappens.com/ And if this show comes to your town, by all means, go see it!

“The first single, “Strange Overtones,” is classic meets current – the filtered synthesizers are in place, the funky layered beats are thumping, and the guitars are screaming… when these guys get together it’s the culmination of two of the world’s most consistent and important innovators – “Strange Overtones” is hopefully only the beginning.”
Read more at Prefixmag.com

Folk / Grande Bretagne / 2008 / Todomundo

D’un côté David Byrne, cofondateur et auteur des textes des Talking Heads, qui touche un peu à tout (auteur, réalisateur, acteur, compositeur, scénariste…). De l’autre, un Brian Eno qui sort d’une (désastreuse) collaboration avec Coldplay. Byrne et Eno se connaissent bien puisqu’ils avaient sorti un album ensemble en 1981 (My life in the Bush of Gost) qui puisait essentiellement dans des influences orientales. Les présentations sont faites, c’est parti pour trois quart d’heure de ballades entre folk US, musique contemporaine, electro planante par le biais (d’un léger abus) de reverb dans les voix.

Les textes et l’orchestration rappellent une comédie musicale dans la tradition de l’art (je ne parle pas de la ribambelle de tentatives de copies ratées à la française que l’on nous inflige depuis quelques années). Les chœurs sont maîtrisés et entrainants, rappelant les vieux films chantés (Le Magicien d’Oz, Mary Poppins) tout en puisant dans l’afro-beat (c’est à la mode après tout pourquoi s’en priver hein).

L’ensemble est homogène mais un peu trop lisse, un peu monotone. Les voix sont souvent traînantes et c’est lassant à la longue. Cependant, trois titres se distinguent des autres. I Feel my Stuff comporte une splendide introduction au piano, d’une ambiance légèrement angoissante au départ, elle évolue doucement sur un rythme pop, la voix rappelle fortement le travail de Kevin Barnes dans le dernier opus d’Of Montreal. Life is Long constitue quand à elle une interprétation de la comédie classique dans la droite lignée des spectacles des 70’s (Hair, Cats,…) : Life is long if you give it a way / So stay don’t go ‘cause I’m feeling away. Wanted for Life est d’ailleurs son alter-égo plus rock n’roll (rappelant l’envie de vivre d’un Iguane). Enfin Poor Boy est probablement le titre le plus expérimental de cet opus : voix samplées et reverb à outrance, percussions et cuivres tout droit sortis d’un synthé déglingué et guitares électriques d’inspiration 80’s.

Un ensemble bien monté, beaucoup d’influences un peu trop présentes, des mélodies sans grande originalité… vous l’aurez compris Everything that happens will happen Today n’est certainement pas l’album de l’année mais constitue un bel exercice de style (même si bon, on aurait attendu cela il y a dix plutôt…). Idéal à écouter en journée au boulot, en remplissant des tableaux Excel…

Note : 6/10

Retrouvez aussi cette chronique sur Novorama

I’ve seen David Byrne several times live, and he’s always proven to be worth the ticket price. Last night at the Pabst Theater was no different.

We showed up at the theater at 7:50. The show was to start at 8pm, and when I asked the ticket person when the show starts, she said 8:15. She also said there was no opening act. I can’t even remember the last show I saw with no opening act.

At 8:15, the entire band walked onto the stage, all wearing white, and started to play. As usual, the sound at the Pabst Theater was second to none. Great volume and crystal clear. It’s one of the few places in which I can nearly always understand the lyrics – no matter the band.

There were a couple of things about the show which marked the first time I had seen such a thing at a concert. The first came after the fourth song of the night – “Houses in Motion,” a classic Talking Heads track which rarely gets played live. Up to and through the song, the audience had been seated. But when the song was finished, the crowd gave Byrne and his band a standing ovation, that lasted several minutes. I think David Byrne was a little confused and surprised by this, too. He didn’t really know what to say, and appeared very humbled.

The second was the use of choreographed dancers. I can’t think of a concert I’d ever seen that employed dancers to do nothing but… well, dance. Sure, there’s back-up singers who dance, but never just dancers.

What most impressed me about the dancers was all the subtleties. The were only on stage for a selection of songs, and their dances usually incorporated the entire band, but in a very understated way. Sometimes it was just Byrne stepping back from the mic for a split second while one of the dancers passed between him and the mic. Then he would step back up.

Other times, it was the dancers taking the back-up singers’ mics and replacing them around the stage for the singers to follow them around. The dance was mostly an interpretative, performance art type dance. Sometimes, though rarely, it nearly crossed the line to cheesy, but hardly ever. In fact, the only reason that was even the case was because the male dancer (the other two were female) had a huge broadway-type grin on his face which was a bit too High School Musical for my tastes (but that is definitely a nit-pick).

The song selection was an excellent mix of the new album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, and classic Talking Heads tracks like “The Great Curve,” “Cross-eyed and Painless,” “I Zimbra,” “Heaven,” “Burning Down the House,” “Live During Wartime” and “Once in a Lifetime.” The versions didn’t really stray from the originals, but the punch was in the energy of the presentation.

As usual, I was able to attract the single most annoying person in the house to sit right behind me. Fortunately, she showed up an hour late for the hour and 15 minute set (45 minutes of encores followed). But when she got there, she used her irritating and sound-penetrating voice to point out everything Byrne was doing on stage and where the lyrics of songs like “Once in a Lifetime” would have been sung if she had written the song. I think I set my record, as it only took me no longer than two songs to whip around and ask her if she’s going to be talking all night. She said “no.”

Anyway, this show was, as usual, unlike any I’d ever seen, and I would recommend to any music fan that you go see this show. There are random clips from various venues lingering around.

This clip actually comes from the Pabst Theater, itself. Curious that the quality isn’t better. But you will get a feel for what was happening on stage. This is “Houses in Motion.”

Here’s “Help Me Somebody,” also from the Pabst. Different angle, though…

And this wasn’t last night, but it’s pretty much what happened during “Once in a Lifetime.”

Tonight’s the David Byrne show in Milwaukee. I was really excited for this when I bought the tickets.

Then I went through my normal lament when the time comes to do something I’ve had planned for a long time – no desire to go and wish I didn’t have tickets.

But today, I’ve been watching some video from the new tour, along with some old video, and I’m now extremely excited for the event. Looks like more original artistry from Byrne. I’ve seen him quite a few times, and he’s never let me down.

On this tour, he’s playing music from all collaborations with Brian Eno, including from Talking Heads albums Remain in Light and Fear of Music. He’s also playing songs from The Catherine Wheel. Here’s hoping he plays “My Big Hands.”

Delightfully sung.

One of the most poncey albums of the year comes to you with compliments from Eno and Byrne. It’s a little bit airy fairy for my liking, but all the while, I find very little to insult in this album. I don’t know if it’s hypnotising me while I’m listening to it, but I find my attention drifing away while this album is on.
The whole album makes me slightly uncomfortable, I know that there’s so much that I don’t like about the album, but somehow it shouts “LOOK OVER THERE!” and points behind me every time I’m close to pinpointing the exact thing that I dislike.

It’s beautifully composed, there’s some lovely singing on here, there’s a good mix of really soft and relaxing music, and some slightly less soft and relaxing music, to add some kind of contrast in there. The style is very minimal without being empty, the music is inoffensive without being boring.

This album is like one of those pictures where it’s a jar, but also two faces. It’s very deceptive and is desperately changing from one thing to another.

Listen to this album: And be slightly confused.

72%

Extracts from ‘Home’, ‘I feel my stuff’, ‘Life is Long’ and ‘One fine day’

“Strange Overtones”

Album: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Artist: David Byrne and Brian Eno

What happens when you take two artists who are totally unique in their own approach to music and stick them together in an album? Well in the case of David Byrne and Brian Eno’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, you get something rather normal. That is not to say that it is boring or like everything else, but rather that the outlandish musical conventions of Eno have been toned down and the bizarre lyrical tension of Byrne’s work with the Talking Heads has been teamed with a heavenly glow.

The first two songs on the album, “Home” and “My Big Nurse” lounge about in an introspective trip down memories and feelings that we are merely observers to. This is only the calm before the storm, as “I Feel My Stuff” features some strange keyboard work and a venomous narration. “Everything that Happens” is a total turnaround from the previous track, a delightful and soulful gospel sound present in both Byrne’s vocal tone and Eno’s instrumentation. The album continues to jump around in sounds, keeping up with the upbeat but mellow juxtaposition.

Everything That stays within a very solid verse-chorus structure with only a few moments for rests and solos. Byrne’s tone remains sharp through each song, which may come as a surprise to those who only hear his uplifting vocal style for a majority of songs. Lyrics such as “When the lost becomes the found/When we fall in love with war/When the angel fucks the whore” and “I heard the sound of someone laughing/I saw my neighbors car explode” are sure to turn some heads in the context of the sounds verses the words. At all times you can feel Byrne’s unique humor at work. Eno does an excellent job of providing breathtaking and personal backdrops for each song. His electronic influence is felt in every nuance, and his use of effects on the acoustic guitar is wise and serves as a great emotional device. The many other studio musicians provide solid work and tie the whole package together.

Both Byrne and Eno have been in the industry for years (and have worked together on an album before) and their experience shows in this catchy and infectious album. For fans of either (or both) men, you will find your particular party hard at work doing what they always do. For those new to the world of Eno and Byrne, this is a fine starting point to delve deeper into their more experimental work.

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is available online at http://everythingthathappens.com/ as a digital download for $8.99, or you can get the CD from the website and stores on November 30th. A special edition is also available for pre-ordering which includes 4 bonus tracks, a hardcover book, a screensaver, a collectors tin and more.