The new collaboration between Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and waifish singer St Vincent may not seem like an obvious one, or perhaps it seems like it is pandering to the critics, hungry for surprises in the ever changing landscape of music news.
However, on listening to the album, Love This Giant, it becomes clear that the two artists are a match that makes sense. Byrne brings in his distinct vocals and slightly off-kilter rhythms and lyrics, while St Vincent offers up her funky sounds to the record. In this way, the age gap between the two appears irrelevant – they are both strangely timeless artists who have happened to find each other.
By far the stand-out track on the album is jazz infused romp; ‘Who’, which opens the album and, perhaps cleverly, remains in the mind of the listener for the rest of the record. There is an irreverent charm to the track, and the enjoyment the pair got in creating this music together especially comes through. Indeed, they did spend two years working on the album together, and it shows.
There is no doubt that Byrne has retained the musical prowess proved by his work whilst in Talking Heads and in his other projects with greats such as Brian Eno. However, while before, he may have been preoccupied with creating a piece of music to challenge and subvert musical trends of the time, now Byrne seems to be making music purely for the pleasure of it.
Perhaps a flaw one can point out in the record is its track listing. It appears that the pair prioritise their most impressive tracks, placing them at the beginning of the album. For example, ‘Weekend in the Dust,’ the track which follows ‘Who’ is equally exciting and bold, and it seems as one works through the album this becomes less of a common theme. The whole album itself, however, has few flaws one can really pick at: it is fresh, intricate and a must listen for all fans of Byrne’s earlier work and St Vincent’s young, jazzy sound.