Happy New Year to all my readers, loyal and casual alike! Here’s hoping 2022 is brighter than either of the past two years. I’d say it couldn’t be much worse, but I know better than that.
Kicking things off on the first day of the year is Random Weekend selection from David Byrne’s 2004 album Grown Backwards.
Took a little break over the weekend (hope you’re enjoying the Dylan series) but I have one loose end to tie up on the David Byrne front.
Three years after Look Into the Eyeball, Byrne returned with one of his strongest albums, 2004’s Grown Backwards. The album is ambitious and yet mostly low-key, favoring acoustic guitars and soft rhythm sections to the wild experimentation of previous albums.
Not that he doesn’t experiment… Byrne tackles two straight up arias, one in French and one in Italian, the former a duet with Rufus Wainwright. Hearing Byrne’s quirky whine wrapping around those melodies is both shocking and moving.
Meet Me In Montauk 