Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

This is a brief blog entry that I was lucky enough to have published on the Los Angeles Times music blog, Soundboard.

To read the short piece in its original context, please visit here.


'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today' for Eno and Byrne
By TJ Kosinski

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been waiting with bated breath for a follow-up to the ridiculously good "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts," the first collaborative album from Brian Eno and David Byrne in 1981. It’s been 27 years since the dynamic duo made a record together, but on Aug. 18, Eno and Byrne will satisfy the masses with the release of "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today."

If you can't wait that long to hear the latest from the team that brought you "Remain in Light" (in which producer Eno served as the veritable fifth Talking Head), no worries -- Byrne has you covered. The two have released a free MP3 from the upcoming album, available on the record’s website. After pausing to watch a ruby-tinted video of Byrne giving listeners a quick rundown of the new collaboration and some brief tour info, you can download “Strange Overtones.” There is a slight catch, however -- to receive the song, you’ve got to give up an e-mail address and your ZIP Code. Hardly a high price to pay.

Thankfully, the freebie delivers everything you’d expect from an Eno/Byrne tune. The track’s music, supplied by Eno, builds around an intimate, funky bass groove and smooth synthesizer riffs that elevate and distort. Throw in rhythmic tinny guitars, and it's the ideal poppy backdrop for Byrne's soulful, soaring overdubbed vocals, which work in beautiful combination with his ever-strange lyrics. So what are you waiting for? Sure, it took them 27 years in the making but it'll only take you a few minutes to download.


Aching to hear the song in question without having to give up your zip code or visit the record's website? I've got you covered.

David Byrne and Brian Eno - Strange Overtones

P.S. Byrne will be coming to the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor on Oct. 24th.

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