More Songs About Buildings And Food

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On their second album, Talking Heads met their ideal musical match: the British producer and Roxy Music alum Brian Eno, who shared an art-school background with singer David Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth, and drummer Chris Frantz, and had recently worked on David Bowie’s album <i>Low</i>. There’s a denser, more foreboding sound on <i>More Songs About Buildings and Food</i>. (Here’s how the self-mocking title came about: Weymouth asked, “What are we gonna call an album that’s just about buildings and food?” And Frantz responded, “You call it <i>More Songs About Buildings and Food</i>.”) If all Eno had done was to add the thickening studio effects to Frantz’s hypnotic drums on “Warning Sign” and Weymouth’s sliding bass line on “With Our Love,” <i>dayenu</i>, he would’ve earned his keep. Byrne is at his inquisitive best in these song, which portray him as someone puzzled by power dynamic, whether in relationships or at the office. “I’ve got to get to work now,” he sings in “With Our Love,” while “The Good Thing” goes even deeper into a hard-work etho, with echoes of philosopher of selfishness Ayn Rand (“Add the will to the strength and it equals conviction”). “Work! Work!” Byrne chants at the end of the song, and by then it’s impossible to tell if he’s giving orders or complaining about them. .

via Apple Music

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