David Byrne, Fatboy Slim – Here Lies Love (2023 Remaster) (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:30:27 minutes | 1,83 GB | Genre: Indie Pop, Alternative Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nonesuch
The album has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim’s own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne’s recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos’ increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, ‘For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What’s more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick.’ Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda’s infamous shoe collection.
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David Byrne – Live From Austin, TX (2007/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:02:49 minutes | 1,20 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © New West Records
Since 2007, New West Records has curated the finest collection of recordings available from the Austin City Limits television program, on DVD, CD, and vinyl. These recordings, culled from hundreds of performances from the 1970s to the 2000s, represent one of the greatest treasures in American music.
This show, captured on November 28, 2001, came on the heels of his hit single, “Like Humans Do” and the release of the album Look Into The Eyeball, which was another typically eclectic musical stew reflecting a variety of styles and influences, from Philly soul to a D.C. Go-Go inspired groove and his first-ever Spanish composition, “Desconocido Soy.” Critics at the time called it his best work in years, and his performance on the Austin City Limits stage shows why. Joined by Austin’s own eclectic tango ensemble Tosca, Byrne takes us down many different musical roads in his ACL debut.
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David Byrne – American Utopia on Broadway (Original Cast Recording) (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:30:40 minutes | 1,93 GB | Genre: Soundtrack
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nonesuch
David Byrne may be the most cerebral rock musician of his generation, but unlike most of the artists who follow close behind him, he’s someone who understands the physicality of performance and the notion of giving it up for an audience; smart and arty as he may be, he understands the age-old concept of giving the audience a show, and he happens to be very good at it. Byrne’s 2018 album American Utopia fared well with critics, but what really caught the attention of his audience was the tour he mounted in support, in which he performed with a small army of dancers and musicians who were in constant, carefully choreographed movement that changed it from a concert into something truly spectacular. The tour eventually led to a run on Broadway, and [RoviLink=”MW”]American Utopia on Broadway [Original Cast Recording][/RoviLink] documents how the show sounded to the patrons who saw it on the Great White Way. Listening to this performance without seeing it puts the material at a certain disadvantage, but this is a significantly more satisfying and pleasurable experience than the American Utopia album was. Where the surfaces of the studio album were often cool and dryly ironic, the sweat and fire of a live show is apparent throughout, and Byrne’s ensemble is capable of cutting his brand of funk with confidence and élan. For the show, Byrne also filled out the program with a rich variety of songs from his days with Talking Heads and his solo career, and they enhance the effect of the American Utopia numbers, as well as reminding us that the LP’s view of the State of the Union in the Trump era was ultimately one more chapter in a story he’s been pondering for decades now. And if American Utopia was thoughtful and whip smart, the Broadway show is thoughtful, whip smart, and fun — an entertainment that doesn’t compromise its intellect for its unique brand of showmanship and vice versa. Just as Stop Making Sense was more than just another live album from just another rock band, American Utopia on Broadway does more than document Byrne’s 2018-2019 tour, it stands as a grand and powerful statement of its own from an artist who is as relevant now as he was in his salad days. ~ Mark Deming
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David Byrne – American Utopia (Deluxe Edition) (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:44 minutes | 1,21 GB | Genre: Alternative
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nonesuch
At 65, David Byrne gets off his bike (his ultimate passion) to release his first solo album in fourteen years. Co-written with his old accomplice Brian Eno, with whom he began working with in the Talking Heads era, American Utopia is a patchwork which only Byrne has the secret to. Crossing genres, fusing continents and breaking down stylistic boundaries, the former Rhode Island School of Design student has always had this sort of thing in his blood. After doing punk funk, salsa, electro collage, records with people as diverse as Fatboy Slim and Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), film music, ballet music and about a thousand other things, here he returns to a more classic song format.
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David Byrne – American Utopia (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 37:23 minutes | 779 MB | Genre: Alternative
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nonesuch
For all Byrne’s other endeavours, music is the forum where his quirky, zany, challenging ideas achieve emotionally satisfying expression. This is the first solo release for the Talking Heads frontman in 14 years is part of a larger project called “Reasons to Be Cheerful” and features contributions from Brian Eno, Jam City, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Sampha. “American Utopia” is another glittering offering from an old master.
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