David Byrne - Grown Backwards
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Free Music Notes for Grown Backwards
Free Music Review: Genuinely Moving Music
Hit: 5 Stars
After hearing "Like Humans Do", on my new laptop, I began my journey into David Byrne's world of music by buying "Look Into the Eyeball". I liked it so much that I later bought "Rei Momo", and now "Grown Backwards". These are all great albums, but "Grown Backwards" stands out from the pack in how it resonates with the mind and the soul. A lot of the music on this CD is orchestrated, which gives much of it the feel of classical music, something which I have never enjoyed prior to this album. Byrne's pop sensibility and general mastery of melody, however, make it much more acessible and exciting. Byrne's lyrics are what really make the album for me, however. I once read a review somewhere (I wish I could remember where so I could give proper credit) which said that David Byrne writes songs which look at the world through a child's eyes. This reviewer was almost correct. Byrne's lyrics provide insight into life by looking in from the outside, as someone who had never experienced the human condition might do - but no child I have ever met would be able to do so in such a poignant and intellectual manner. "The Man Who Loved Beer" is two and a half minutes of unadulterated pleasure, and other tracks like "Pirates", "Glass, Concrete & Stone", "Tiny Apocalypse", and "Civilization" are all gems that excite the mind as well as the ear. The only time you'll want to skip a track on this album is "Au Font du Temple Saint" (which tends to bore), but we can forgive David for that thanks to the 14 other brilliantly crafted tracks on "Grown Backwards". If you're interested in intellectually engaging music that is accessible and different all at once, "Grown Backwards" would be a good choice. If you're interested in getting more music that sounds like the Talking Heads, it probably wouldn't be.Free Music Review: Challenging and rewarding
Hit: 5 Stars
David Byrne's Talking Heads were the only band I loved the way I did The Beatles when I was a youngster. That said, his solo albums come across as an eclectic rush of collaborations new and old, as if restlessly trying to make as many opportunities to play with others as he can and capture as many ideas as possible that reach a level of musical viability.
"Grown Backwards" succeeds more often than not. Byrne is always clever, marked by a nearly as consistent obsession to move his -- and your -- hips. Hip sway, hip grind, hip bump, hippie: Watch him perform, and realize he means our hips to move as much as he wants (us) to sing and think.
Although he's one of the few singers of the early punk and New Wave flood to take voice lessons, his voice may be an acquired taste, one I'm hooked on to the exclusion of his swampfull of imitators. But "Grown Backwards" challenges me to appreciate his singing on songs from the Euro-classical opera world. There are few musicians I'd rather have challenge me.
Still, the highlight is the closing "bonus" (not "hidden") track, titled Lazy -- which is perhaps ironic, as it's the most ambitious arrangement Byrne's released in a very long time. A dance track for the ADHD masses, with a dozen rhythmic forms vying for attention, the Tosca Strings' non-rhythmic intro gels to become the surprise underpinning for the entire 10 minutes of it. Lazy will make you feel everything BUT.
Free Music Review: Not just a Talking Head
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an album that is tough to define. It defies all classifications and categorizations. Which makes it all the more interesting! In this musical trip (I guess that is a way to call this production), Byrne set out to blend styles in a way that can only be compared to the brilliance of The Beatles over a quarter of a century ago in productions such as Sgt. Pepper's.
Combining opera with bossanova in the same album may seem like a tough gig, but Byrne is up to the challenge. By the time you hear him singing in French with Rufus Wainwright on the breathtaking "Au Fond Du Temple Saint", to the political "Empire", and on to the happy "Tiny Apocalypse", you'd better be clear that you're not listening to just another talking head... And the interpretation of Verdi's "Un Di Felici Etera" or the closing "Lazy"? They are genius, plain and simple!!
Now, if a sheer seamless combination of musical styles doesn't cut it for you, just heed the smart lyrics and nod your head as if in reverence to a great writer too.
Overall, this is an album I can't get enough of. As cliched as this may sound, I wish David got cloned. There aren't too many artists of this caliber on earth: we got the Peter Gabriels, the Bonos, the Stings (before the Sacred Love album) and the David Byrnes of the world, and then there's the rest. Exageration? Not a bit. Listen for yourself and see what I mean.
Free Music Review: Refreshing Collection of Songs; David's Best Yet
Hit: 5 Stars
This it truly a stunner of a album. Each song has its own personality and its own thing to say. David Byrne has always tackled every type of music imaginable, and he goes one step further on this album - opera. With Bizet's "Au Fond Du Temple Saint" (featuring an amazing vocal performance by Rufus Wainwright) and Verdi's "Un de Felice, Eterea", David personalizes these operatic offerings to display his unique voice and emotion. David has always had an interesting style of writing, and this is truly prevalent in songs like "Glass, Concrete, Stone", "Tiny Apocalypse", and "Civilization". While this album seems more mature than Byrne's previous albums, his playfulness and funkyness is still very much heard on "Dialog Box" and "Pirates". David talks about many different topics on this album, including politics. "Empire" is, as Byrne himself described, a song written to be an anthem for Republicans. This very sarcastic song has a surprisingly charming sound. Other highlights of this album, in terms of both sound and writing, include "She Only Sleeps" and "The Other Side Of This Life". This is an amazing album as a whole, but the individual tracks speak a lot as wellFree Music Review: David Byrne enters an elite league of musical craftsmen
Hit: 5 Stars
David Byrne's musical voice is clearer than I could have ever imagined.
He draws you in with the opening beats on
"Glass, Concrete & Stone,"
then takes you from one song to the next
in an inevitable sequence.
Even songs heard previously
take on a much deeper meaning musically
in the context of the album.
The organizational chart graphics in the foldout
represent the connectedness and completeness
of the songs as a whole.
"Grown Backward" is an amazing achievement.
Stephen Barber's classic orchestrations combined with David Byrne's master songwriting skills instantly make this my favorite DB album. My out-of-the-gate favorite track, "Empire," has a lovely Zappa quality to it. I think George and Ira Gershwin would have been happy to have written "Glad."
But, the sonics! This album sounds so good! Outstanding recording quality. Audio cheapskates like me should go into a high-end stereo store, put it on, and get swept away.
I have never heard david enryb spoken so fluently by so many musicians at once. Everyone else has gotta be going, "Holy crap! Now what do we do?"