Byrne baby Byrne

by Kevin Krieger, Weekender Correspondent

By the tail end of the late ’70s, real music lovers may have had enough of the snotty three-chord attitude of the punk movement. This reaction to the original punk backlash allowed artists like David Byrne’s Talking Heads to bring some overdue intelligence to the table. By joining up with Roxy Music alum and famed producer Brian Eno on “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today,” Byrne continues his pursuit of melodic intellectual rock, and somewhere along the way, he has created his strongest post-Heads release to date.

The last collaboration between these two respected musicians was 1981’s “My Life With The Bush Ghosts,” an ambient/electronica excursion that still stands as a classic. The pair has obviously matured since then, and the overall mood of “Everything That Happens” is very relaxed with a focus on the melody, similar to the offbeat work of XTC’s Andy Partridge. Throughout the CD’s 11 tracks, the duo concentrates on songs that Byrne describes as “electronic gospel.”

Fresh off of producing Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida,” Eno’s otherworldly stamp is all over the backing tracks of “Home,” the Peter Gabriel-like “I Feel My Stuff” and the percolating bass of “Wanted For Life.” The offbeat “My Big Nurse” brings out a comic country twang that would be unexpected from either artist if it weren’t for the experimental nature of many of their earlier projects.

The basic tracks on “Everything” were recorded at home by Byrne and e-mailed to Eno. After stripping down the rough demos, a host of musical friends stepped in to lend their talents to the songs, with the final product sounding cohesive and uplifting at the same time. Both artists can’t help but note the passage of time and trend since their moment in the spotlight, and the topic is addressed head-on in the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of “Strange Overtones,” the album’s beat-heavy first single: “This groove is out of fashion / These beats are twenty years old.”

A few tracks on “Everything That Happens” may fit into the mediocre category (“Poor Boy,” “Lighthouse”), but the songs certainly don’t end up in the junk bin. Even less-than-stellar Byrne/Eno compositions are still pretty good.

David Byrne & Brian Eno : Everything that happens will happen today

Hugo Cassavetti, Telerama n° 3070 - 15 novembre 2008

La dernière fois que David Byrne et Brian Eno ont enregistré en tandem remonte à 1981. A l'époque, le révolutionnaire My life in the bush of ghosts, avec ses rythmes afrobeat concassés et ses samples avant l'heure de chants ethniques, a posé les jalons du crossover world, qui allait irriguer tout un pan du rock des années 80, de Peter Gabriel à Sting. Sans oublier, bien sûr, Paul Simon et son impérial Graceland.

Dans un curieux mais peut-être logique retour des choses, ce nouveau projet semble partir des derniers travaux de Simon - dont le Surprise fut coproduit par Brian Eno - pour chercher un point d'équilibre entre les habillages sonores du cofondateur de Roxy Music (Eno) et la facette crooner de l'ancien leader des Talking Heads (Byrne). Car Everything that happens... est d'abord un disque de chansons, avec ses envoûtantes mélopées qui rappellent autant la veine mélodique d'un Here she comes (Before and after science) que d'un Heaven (Fear of music).

Eno, on a tendance à l'oublier, n'est pas qu'un sorcier du son mais aussi un amoureux éperdu de la voix. Il a conçu ici un somptueux écrin « gospel folk électronique » pour celle clairement stimulée de Byrne. Bercé par les mélodies hypnotiques, on découvre progressivement les subtils échafaudages rythmiques et paysages sonores élaborés par le plus instinctif des producteurs et compositeurs intellos.

Fripp & Eno: No Pussyfooting / Evening Star

By John Kelman, allaboutjazz.com, Published: October 19, 2008

“Experimental electronic music would still exist without Fripp & Eno, but without them and these two highly regarded and influential albums, it would be a different beast altogether.”

Few artists think they're doing something momentous, something that can change the landscape of music. Most just follow their instincts, follow their ears, do what they do, and sometimes the result goes far beyond any expectations, personal or otherwise.

When King Crimson co-founder/guitarist Robert Fripp brought his pedal board to Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno's home studio on September 8, 1972, hooked himself up to two Revox reel-to-reel tape recorders and, utilizing this primitive, pre-digital approach to looping, recorded two improvised tracks, who was to know how significant they would become? Of course, were it not for Eno's real-time sonic manipulations of what went to tape, there'd never have been a 21-minute "The Heavenly Music Corporation," and the shape of electronic music would, no doubt, be fundamentally altered.

Fortunately, "The Heavenly Music Corporation" did get released, along with a second experiment called "Swastika Girls," as No Pussyfooting (1973), on Island Records' budget-priced Antilles label. Island didn't know what to do with this strange music that ranged from ethereal and, well, heavenly, to more angular and menacing; but No Pussyfooting—a Fripp reference to not compromising what he and Eno felt was right—still went on to sell over 100,000 copies in the UK and Europe.

While it finally reached North American shores (beyond being an expensive British import in the 1970s) in CD form in the 1980s, No Pussyfooting and its follow-up, Evening Star (Antilles, 1975), never sounded the way they deserved. With Fripp & Eno an ongoing collaboration that has become increasingly active again since the release of The Equatorial Stars (DGM Live, 2004) and Beyond Even (DGM Live, 2007), it makes perfect sense that the two albums that not only started it all for Fripp & Eno, but were vastly influential in the realms of electronic and ambient music, finally receive the sonic updating they deserve. Additionally, No Pussyfooting is expanded to a double-disc, with some interesting alternate views of the music that are the result of both happenstance and intention. (...)

David Byrne, Greek Theatre, October 3, 2008

David Byrne has reconnected with fellow traveler Brian Eno to record a fine new album called Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The album is available for free streaming now and will be available in several fixed format configurations soon. Leave it to Byrne and Eno to take another twist at the cycle of album releases. This is their first collaboration in three decades, and the results are sublime.

Byrne brought a fine band to the Greek to explore many of the new songs, as well as a healthy sampling of his prior solo and Talking Heads work. Many of the most complicated, challenging and satisfying Talking Heads songs involved Eno. Byrne has now convinced me to never miss one of his concerts. When he was last in town I went to the Hollywood Bowl with mild expectations, which he exploded. At the more intimate Greek he delivered an extremely clever and rewarding show.

The crack seven member band was attired in white, as were the trio of dancers who wove through many of the songs. Bassist Paul Frazier was tremendous, as was Mark Degli Antoni on keyboards who fleshed out many of the sonic colors. Notably, Byrne was the only guitarist (but for occasional acoustic guitar accompaniment).

The fourth song of the evening “I Zimbra” was intricate both sonically and visually. The performance brought down the house (which was still yet to burn), culminating in a standing ovation. Byrne looked impish in the adulation. The challenge of weaving dancers into modern music is also being explored by Elvis Costello and Twyla Tharp, their collaboration comes to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion later this month.

Byrne reached into the dusty corners of his trick bag and pulled out a great song from his Catherine Wheel collaboration with Tharp. He also reworked his most famous cover version, Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” which is Byrne’s earliest recorded acknowledgement of his black influences.

“Burning Down the House” and “Life During Wartime” lost none of their urgency, and brought out all the karaoke singers in the audience. Same as it ever was, indeed.

Byrne’s voice remains supple with no seeming loss of range. A gorgeous version of “Heaven” featured jangly REMish guitars, and might have been the evening’s highlight.

David Byrne is the epitome of a cool nerd. His geeky gloss does not really hide the clever and inquisitive artist inside. Where is that left field hit single collaboration between Peter Gabriel and David Byrne? Brian Eno will invariably provide the intersection of that much-desired Venn Diagram.

Brian Eno et David Byrne à nouveau ensemble

Les inrocks.com : Les deux légendes ont décidé de se retrouver pour une tournée commune, sans doute l'une des plus passionnantes de l'année.

C'est le retour, côte à côte, de deux légendes vivantes : la tête pensante des Talking Heads David Byrne et le génial Brian Eno, qui a récemment produit l'album de Coldplay Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, ont décidé de tourner ensemble aux Etats-unis, dans le cadre d'une tournée automnale au nom légèrement pompeux de The Songs of Talking Heads' David Byrne and Roxy Music founder Brian Eno.

Les deux hommes se connaissent évidemment déjà très bien : Eno avait produit l'album des Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings And Food, ils se sont ensuite retrouvés pour collaborer sur l'extraordinaire My Life in the Bush of Ghosts et sont à nouveau, expliquait Byrne en avril dernier, au travail ensemble sur un nouvel album commun. Prions pour quelques dates françaises, ou du moins européennes.