Listening to the NPR "All Songs Considered" podcast on a recent drive to Calgary, I heard "Strange Overtones," a new song from David Byrne and Brian Eno. Bob Boilen, the program's host, told a story about meeting Byrne in the late 1970s as Eno was readying production on the Talking Heads' sophomore album. Eventually, Byrne and Eno collaborated on a side project, and it was during the re-release of My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts that the two began working together again, for the first time in about twenty-five years. "Strange Overtones" is one of the eleven songs that makes up Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.
It is worth noting that the NPR podcast, downloaded automatically from iTunes each week, has become for me an indispensable source of music information as record stores crumble. Whether or not our big box stores have adequate depth of catalog, it is impossible to search for what you do not know exists. There are few places where you can be sure to find a full range of new music options. The reliable Mr. Boilen told me that this exciting new collaboration had been released, and so - because I was going to be in the big city, anyway - I thought I would drop by Megatunes, one of the few true record stores operating in Southern Alberta. Located along the so-called "Red Mile," a busy thoroughfare with little parking, the Calgary location can be a challenge to reach. So, I got myself dropped off and made a dash for the door. The knowledgeable staff, their authority bolstered by tattoos and piercings, had been spending the afternoon inventing unlikely album titles, and so when I asked for Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, they thought I was a plant. They had not heard of it.
Had Bob Boilen let me down? No, as it turns out, the album has been released on the internet, much like Radiohead's In Rainbows last year. Unlike Radiohead, though, Mr. Byrne and Mr. Eno have set prices. There is a deluxe set, including a film, but the two most common pricing options allow you to download the album for nine dollars; for twelve dollars you can get the download now and receive a real disc at some point between now and November.
I like this idea a great deal. Those of us who need a real, plastic object with liner notes included can indulge ourselves. I encourage you to check out the associated website here. The only problem, of course, is how to browse these new, virtual record stores. These new finds of mine, like Bowerbirds and LCD Soundsystem, feel like I stumbled across them. What will I do if Mr. Boilen leaves NPR?
It occurs to me that I have said little about the music here. I am a big fan of the Talking Heads, and I have enjoyed the eclectic solo work of David Byrne. But if, like me, you find that solo work impossibly ambitious, as broad-ranging across two or three albums as your whole record collection, you will find him on firm and familiar ground here. You will be hard-pressed to find anything elsewhere this Fall as catchy as "Strange Overtones." In fact, I caught CBC Radio using it in its theme music last week. Byrne writes lyrics across this album for music Eno had lying around, essentially, and the first single takes a gentle poke at his collaborator for a "beat" that is "slightly out of fashion." Perhaps only "Poor Boy" is as up-tempo as that track, but all are equally melodic - "proper songs," as Byrne has described them - and highlights can be found in "Home," "My Big Nurse," and "Life Is Long." David Byrne plans to tour with this music, and I expect it will be a series of memorable shows.
My download was uneventful, and the sound quality is super on my iPod. Still, I look forward to receiving my CD in the mail. It is the conservative in me.
