I’ve casually listened to some songs by the Talking Heads throughout much of my life, but only recently have I started checking out solo work of David Byrne. Before I started writing about music on this website, I listened to Byrne’s first solo album and thought it was pretty sweet. With that said, I’m looking forward to listening to this one, which is technically his third release as a solo artist, but I suppose is considered his second studio solo record since his 1991 release, The Forest, is more of an orchestral instrumental album, and I suppose maybe wasn’t recorded in a studio. Regardless of this album being his second or third release, I’m very much looking forward to the music on this one. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Now I’m Your Mom” starts out with some super loud, almost exotic sounding bass and drums. Oh wow, there’s some strong 80s vibes mixed with Talking Heads from this one, in my opinion. I really dig the synthy bass keeping the groove with the cowbell-sounding percussion in the track. There’s some very interesting melodic work between the choruses in the song, and I can say I’m excited for the rest of the album. Wow, this breakdown at the end has this very ominous groove to it – it’s very in line with what I remember from Byrne’s first studio album. There’s so much music packed into this song, it’s honestly super cool.
“Girls On My Mind” starts out with a nice snare hit to get things going and then evolves into some reggae-inflected alternative art rock tune. Wow, this song is super interesting. There’s so much going in the song. The bass keeps going on with the island sounding drums to keep the rhythm of the song together, while different layers of synths and delicately shimmering guitars outline the tune in a harmoniously ominous way. The flavors of this one are super intriguing to me. Wow, there’s even some bluegrass sounding elements with what could be a fiddle. I really dig trying to focus on the guitar work, which really gives a nice reverberation effect to the synth work in the song.
Wow, “Something Ain’ Right” starts out with some super strange vocals that don’t even seem like real words. Oh wow, I really dig the incredibly strange percussion work in this one. There are some super quick pulsating lines from the synth to lay down a rhythm with the drums, while there’s some whistling moving around the soundscape. Wow, the song gets super gritty in the vocals and even the guitar. Wow, this tune really evolves so much along the way. Definitely some super cool music.
“She’s Mad” has an almost dark sound, though perhaps it’s just a strange bluesy inflection. Nope, it’s definitely got some ominous vibes coming from the music, though it’s totally in line with the vibe from the album. It goes from sort of easy-going island life sound, to this super gritty, tilling the ground sort of vibe. Wow, there’s an extremely large amount of music packed into this one, and it shows absolutely no signs of stopping whatsoever. How, the background vocals that sort of peer through a different dimension in the soundscape while swirling around are super interesting, and nearly psychedelic in nature. Oh wow, this instrumental break is super intriguing – it’s got an almost dark, strange surf rock vibe. Honestly it sort of reminds me of Frank Zappa meets XTC. Oh wow, this outro has a totally chilled vibe, while the congas and other percussion sort of keep that tempo and vibe up until the end as it fades out with the synth. Awesome track.
“Hanging Upside Down” starts out so smoothly with this bouncing sort of synth that gets rattled around by the congas and drums. Oh wow, the horns in this track make the tune so smooth. I’m not even sure what instrument is being played, but it’s definitely not on any traditional western music drum kit I’ve seen. I just checked wikipedia and there are an incredible number of musicians and engineers that worked on this one. Oh wow, this instrumental break is sort of like something a band under the sea might play if they were asked to try and play some sort of country-style tune. Great little tune.
“A Walk In the Dark” starts out with Byrne counting things down, and I’m immediately really digging this strange, dark groove that’s being played. It reminds me a bit of something off the Bedouine album I listened to relatively recently. The vocals in this one sound almost harrowing in how personal they sound both lyrically and in the tone. The acoustic guitar really letting things sort of ring out in certain parts of the song are really sweet. Oh wow, that bass guitar comes in subtle and super tasty when you can hear it in the mix. I’m really digging both this song and the entire album as a whole – some absolutely great music. Wow, this song was absolutely awesome.
“Twistin’ In the Wind” starts out with some great twangy rock and roll guitar. Oh wow, that guitar changes to a funky, almost disco-like groove after the short intro. Wow, the album absolutely feels like it’s moving full-steam ahead the whole time. The background vocals add so much energy to the track – super cool. Oh wow, this part is super catchy with that rock and roll guitar part, I want to clap along to the beat. Dang, this song is honestly super groovy. I really like me some rock and roll, and this one definitely has some strong rock and roll elements to it. There’s so much range in the album, it’s pretty sweet. The ending to this one is super neat with the meta lyrics about it.
“The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)” has some super strange feeling to it, almost like it’s once again being played by a band under the sea. I can’t help but tap my hands on my desk along to this one gently. There’s a super groovy jam in the middle of this one that I definitely got lost in. The short staccato’d playing by the bass and electric guitars really build up some great tension as the tropical sounding drums really further bop and roll the song forward. The song comes to a really sweet climactic finish with all the energy built up in the tune.
“Monkey Man” has some great flavor in the electric guitar at the start. Oh wow, those 80s synth sounds give this one a really interesting mix of flavors, as the guitars sound like they could be out of some sort of blues rock band from the late 60s or early 70s. There’s a really strange feel to it overall, as it feels difficult to pin down a particular feel as the song’s instrumentation and vocals vary and evolve throughout the tune so much. Regardless of the particular feel, it’s a pretty sweet song.
Oh wow, “A Million Miles Away” starts out with a tease of some super heavy electric organs alongside the electric guitar and building up some tension by doing so, which ends up getting relieved slowly throughout the song as the heavy lines from the organs make scant appearances along side some gentle high notes. The electric guitar sounds like something sort of out of a Peter Gabriel song with the way the notes are plucked. Oh wow, the breakdown of the song as absolutely awesome. Holy smokes, there’s some sort of synth or maybe a guitar that’s plugged into a talk box, and sounds absolutely awesome in the mix. There are so many layers and complexities to both this song, and essentially the rest of the album as well; I doubt I’m even coming close to noticing all the details in these songs.
“Tiny Town” has a super perplexing sound to the acoustic guitar at the beginning – it sounds both full and hollow – perhaps it’s from a steel body guitar? I’m not sure, but it’s super awesome. The song sounds like some sort of Spanish matador type of tune. I can hardly believe that I’m already on the second to last track on the album – the whole thing has been incredibly interesting and absolutely flown by. There’s definitely some Spanish influence in this one I think, and even possibly some middle-eastern influences. Holy smokes that trumpet hits some incredibly tasty high notes. This song definitely incorporates a lot of musical elements from around the world from what I can tell, and is incredibly intriguing throughout.
“Somebody” has an absolutely lovely conclusive feeling to it – the playing feels a bit looser in general. Byrne seems to be gently careening the song to a final direction with this one. The vocals are a bit softer and more sustained in general, while the playing definitely has a very fun feel to it in general. There’s a bit of a conga-line vibe to the end of this one as everything seems like it’s coming to a very natural close. I’m almost even reminded of stuff String Cheese Incident would play in years to come. Definitely a great end to a really awesome album.
Wow, this album is about 53 minutes long, yet the amount of music packed into the album feels so incredibly dense that I wouldn’t have been surprised if over an hour and a half of listening time had really passed, while at the same time I was so intrigued I only noticed the time when I was already (nearly unbelievably so) at the halfway point of the album. If you’re looking for some very interesting, inventive music, and want to experience something with many different flavors from around the world, this album might be one you want to check out. I need to listen to more of Byrne’s albums, and definitely take the time to listen to an album from the Talking Heads all the way through sometime soon – this one was a great listen. If you do decide to check this one out, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A