TALKING HEADS | REMAIN IN LIGHT
It’s possible to never stop learning new things from repeated listens to Remain In Light. It is a fascinating album that defies the ability to grow stale or outdated. Because of it’s un-groundedness, the lack of ability to emotionally connect with it remains its greatest strength.
You have to like and resonate with David Byrne to like any of the Talking Heads work. If his jittery and anxiety-ridden output doesn’t make sense to you, it’s best to just move on. This is a band that is defined by the frontman’s persona and while his autistic filter is rarely understandable, there is a pleasure in jumping into the quirkiness and surrounding to its power.
Whether considered New Wave or Punk, Talking Heads were undeniably nervous and unatural. As it’s been pointed out, Bryne danced as if to make fun of dancing. This is where the line between fake and real consumed his persona and he played into the fine line between joke and honesty. The feel of the album is doused in Afrobeat, a rhythmic and percussive influence that would find its way through 80’s acts like Toto and Paul Simon, but here it was more agitated and uncomfortable, barely touching upon the emotionally warmth it represented for so many.
“Once In A Lifetime” is a brilliant track that beams with personality right from the “You may find yourself, you may ask yourself” verse lyrics. The chorus is beyond classic and would find itself at home in nearly any genre of music. The album remains a classic due to its feelings of unfamiliarity and hard-to-crack artistry. Funky bass riff and a strange absence of prominent guitars allow Byrne to stretch out his alien personality across the horizon.
The joy of listening to Remain In Light is in feeling its jumpy and fidgety vibes to the fullest. Few artists have ever created art with such anxiousness. The album doesn’t hit you over the head with perfection, but more explores something caffeinated and distressed with confidence and honesty.
The coconut rum represents the afrobeat influence, while the The GRENADINE lime juice and bourbon create a unique flavour profile not necessarily memorable, but worth a taste.
