Ahhhhh. I have a new CD and I’m happy. (Actually, I have three new CDs. But my wife needn’t know that.) I’m surrounded by a sonic bliss that makes me feel . . . good.
Don’t confuse that with happy. I’m still as bitter and irritated as ever. I just feel good because I have new music to throw myself into. And I do mean throw myself into.
(Warning: Entering a long, rambling musical lovefest.)
My main purchase today was David Byrne’s latest, Grown Backwards. And, quite frankly, this is the best Byrne work in a decade at least. It’s different, strange and catchy, filled with captivating melodies, interesting harmonies and bitingly funny lyrics about life, politics, sex and beer. Not necessarily in that order.
At one point Byrne exclaims, “I’m going to be that really cool guy someday.” Of course, he was that really cool guy once. Always has been, despite the fact that he fell out of favor with popular culture. Still, the man has a track record of creativity that shames most musicians. Not to mention filmmakers, writers, photographers and artists. In fact, Byrne’s creativity is in such a high gear that he created a new form of art using PowerPoint. Yes, the ubiquitous meeting presentation software. The kicker is the art was interesting.
Most surprising on this disc, perhaps, is the inclusion of two arias, one by Verdi the other by Bizet. Yes, “Au Fond du Temple Saint” follows a cover version of Lambchop’s (no, not the sock puppet, though that would be funny) “The Man Who Loves Beer”. Byrne’s haunting voice soars through the aria while being chased by the warm and unique tones of Rufus Wainwright. In the end they come crashing together in an orgasmic moment of harmony and crescendo.
There’s a joy in this CD that I haven’t heard in a disc for a while. It’s not that it’s happy music. There’s a joy in the making of this music. In the construction and execution of the music. You can tell, as you listen to a cello playing a counter-melody, while the harp plays a nice run and the marimba is hammering out an interesting repetitive figure. Add on top of that Byrne’s recognizable, unusual voice and you’ve got a fascinating disc that draws on Byrne’s years of experimentation and mold them into a irresistible hybrid of classical, rock, funk, samba, fused with John Cage’s sense of normality and filtered through Byrne’s wry wit. Throw in some interesting cameos from the likes of John Linnell of They Might Be Giants, Rufus Wainwright and an interesting string arrangement by Phillip Glass, and you’re looking at something unusual.
David Byrne has constructed a series of songs that enjoy playing with every piece of music: odd tempo changes, sudden key shifts, time signature swaps, soaring melodies that move in unexpected directions, fascinating silences. Quite honestly, Grown Backwards is unlike any other album I’ve ever heard and certainly Byrne’s most unique to date. And that’s saying something.
Had this album been recorded by someone younger and less accomplished, say the aforementioned Rufus Wainwright, he would be hailed as a genius. Because this is David Byrne, former leader of Talking Heads, the man who wrote “Burning Down the House”, “Once in a Lifetime”, “Life During Wartime”, etc., it will be touted as a nice piece of art and nothing more. Byrne is in the unfortunate position of being an aging rocker who has matured to the point of being Grown Backwards. Because he’s someone who has already achieved both acclaim (as a songwriter, performer, film maker and photographer) and fame, his achievement will be dismissed. Had he written something that sounded like Talking Heads, this would be labeled a comeback.
It’s a shame, too, because the majority of people will not hear the last minute of “Empire” as it works through a soaring fanfare. Most people won’t hear the lovely silliness of “Glad” nor the beauty of “Why”.
But hey, I’m like David. Maybe someday I’ll be that cool guy.
Doubtful, but maybe.
Discuss
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