The legendary Talking Heads band leader, David Byrne, has announced American Utopia, a new solo album scheduled to come out March 9th. The pre-released LP offers a single track as a small tease, and wow. I'm impressed.
All too often do older artists come back with solo work only to disappoint fans with a jarring maneuver away from their earlier sound, but not David Byrne. Accompanied by its own music video, "Everybody's Coming To My House" channels that same phenomenal off-kilter pop feel we got from classics like "And She Was" and "Once In a Lifetime." A tacky saxophone ensemble starts the track off with the same out of place formality that seemed to live inside of Byrne's signature oversized zoot suit. It doesn't take long for a montage of bubbly synths, foot-tapping bass, and upbeat percussion to come sweeping through.
I wish I was a camera / I wish I was a postcard / I welcome you to my house / You didn't have to go far.
The vocals whine with a familiar anxious and confused demeanor. Halfway into the song and a few high pitched notes squiggle and contort with a similarly awkward charm. Whoever produced this knew exactly what they were doing.
Atop the instrumentation lives a breathy apprehension. Byrne remains outlandishly profound, speaking to life's impermanence through metaphors of gardens and tourism.
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