Tuesday, August 26, 2008

ByrnEno Again, 30 Years Later


David Byrne and Brian Eno have rejoined forces, some thirty years since the groundbreaking heyday of Talking Heads, to give us Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Certainly the sounds have changed, but I can't argue with the end result. (Though I can hardly be objective, as I admire and enjoy few artist's output more than Byrne, and have always had a great respect for Eno's intellect and ideas about sound and music's future.)

I'm looking forward to the Deluxe Package, which I have confidence will solidly trounce Radiohead's "Discbox" released in conjunction with their album In Rainbows (the album was solid from start to to finish, but the art and packaging left me scratching my head, seeming a bit phoned in for a band normally so acutely aware of aesthetics and visual art in their albums). Given Byrne's past art books and art works (including his ingenious playing the building), I have faith this won't disappoint.

And speaking of Radiohead, who allowed consumers of their album to initially name their own price, even allowing it to be downloaded for free, Byrne and Eno allow you to listen to the album in its entirety for free (and embed the player as well, see below). You can almost hear big labels streaming urine down their pinstripes.

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