Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Everything That Happened



It's been twenty eight years since the Eno-Byrne duo collaborated on a joint release, and I must say that it was well worth the wait. Original glam-rocking star Brian Eno and New Wave Art Rock pioneer David Byrne are at it again. This time it is a little different. If you can recall the genius of their 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, and you are expecting the same experimental sounds, you will be surprised by 2008’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. My Life was written during Eno’s ambient/experimental years; the Roxy Music and “Here Come The Warm Jets” days were behind him. For Byrne it was a time sandwiched between two of the greatest Talking Heads releases: Fear of Music and Remain in Light. This was an extremely creative time for both musicians. My Life experimented with world music concepts as Eno would patchwork his “found objects” into the quirky percussion on the album. The ambient and electronic “ghosts” of the album would be all too fitting given Eno’s work and Byrne’s creative animal at the time.

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is a thought-provoking title for a thought-provoking album. The two explore huge ideas, both lyrically and musically from start to finish. Eno found help to write most tracks on acoustic guitar while Byrne expanded on the technical aspects of each ringing chord to find a happy medium. The songs are reminiscent of mid-tempo mature late nineties indie creations, but with an all-too-familiar gleam. Byrne’s vocals are those of late period Talking Heads with a mid period Roy Orbison flare. The songs on Everything That Happens are eerily precise in capturing the realness and purity of the moment we just lost. A different direction for both, but it definitely works.

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