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Album Review
by 'David Byrne'
17-3-2004
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| David Byrne: a constant forward motion |
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David Byrne: 'Grown Backwards'
(Nonsuch)
(As if) David Byrne ‘reviews’ David Byrne’s LP
“The name of this album is ‘Grown Backwards’.
This album was made with the Texas-based chamber group the Tosca Strings, who toured with me in 2001. The strings do everything that guitar or keyboards would normally do. The band is a groove thing, pretty much me, drums, percussion and bass. But, the brass-fuelled ‘Empire’ is a send-up of the United States’ current foreign policy. I was thinking, ‘Suppose the Republicans had an anthem, what would it be?’ So, I thought, ‘I’ll just write it for them’. The idea of the United States as an imperial power is gaining more and more currency.
Another topical tune is the funky ‘Dialog Box’; I thought it was kind of amusing that when a computer asks you a question it is called a dialogue. We use the same words that we use for personal relationships when we’re talking about a machine.
I did the song ‘The Other Side Of This Life’ on some of the last tour and the sound technician said: 'David, this sounds like something from a musical.' I admire the classic songwriting that went into the musicals from the 1930s, 40s and 50s - the songwriting and craftsmanship is just incredible. But I avoid the more recent stuff like the plague. It's not because the writing is so off, it's because the style of singing and performing is so completely alien to somebody from my sort of rock and pop background. It's such a turn-off. It destroys any value the song might have.
But, that said, I realise some of the songs might have that quality, so I'd go on stage and sometimes I'd announce that it was from an upcoming musical that I was writing about an Indonesian politician who has ambitions to be a Vegas lounge singer. Occasionally I'd get inquiries - 'How's the musical coming along?'
There is a version of ‘Lazy’ on the album. I’ve not done that many collaborations, but I am doing some more. I've just sent off one that I did with the Thievery Corporation, a couple of DJ mixer guys out of Washington DC. After the X-Press 2 thing, people think: 'Oh, he'll do this. He'll write words if we have the right track.' As a one-off every now and again, it's fun to do, especially if I don't expect it to do anything, like the X-Press 2 thing. I liked their stuff, and I thought it would be fun to have a song on a dance track.
I’m not sure what sort of album ‘Grown Backwards’ is. Those are the questions that always get asked. Was the singer in rehab? Did the singer have a horrible break-up with his girlfriend? So I asked myself, what's the record about? I don't know. Those are the usual suspects. Oh, it's about a break-up, rehab or it’s about the World Trade Center thing. I don't have an answer.
There are some songs that are definitely about some of those things. I think Empire is definitely about politics, a very tongue-in-cheek anthem as if it was written for the Republicans - the American empire can have its anthem.
The name of this person is David Byrne.”
Featuring a duet with Rufus Wainwright (‘Au Fond Du Temple Saint’), a Lambchop cover (‘The Man Who Loved Beer’) and a blistering reworking of ‘Lazy’ this is Byrne’s best work since disbanding Talking Heads.
9/10
[Edited by SSW.]
'David Byrne'
20-10-2002
David Byrne’s album ‘Grown Backwards’ is released 15 March 2004 by Nonsuch
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