When I was 16 I caught a bad case of ennui. Luckily I was disinterested enough to consider doing anything drastic but if I had ceased to exist through some kind of natural cause or a snap of Thanos' finger then I wouldn't have minded. I'd have shrugged my shoulders and waved goodbye to people who wouldn't even notice I was gone. Like a pencil with an eraser at both ends I still feel largely pointless today. Lorem Ipsum with a bad haircut and crooked teeth.
When I was 17 I had a semi-reluctant conversion to Christianity. Reluctant because I'm still not totally enamoured to mattering but thankful that my eyes were opened to how endlessly fascinating everything is. Stop Making Sense mirrors some of that but stops one place short - it revels in the creative rather than the creator. It says life is boring go make something. It describes heaven as a party but on repeat, shorn of the flux and creative potential of life and in doing so fails to reflect on the eternally creative God from which the creativity they feel lacking flows. So that's a bit dumb or at best human. Byrne should read Romans 1 for insight.
It's super bold to start Psycho Killer solo, acoustically and without Weymouth's bass line but it's very satisfying to see a recreation of what has been created. I have always found it odd that bands strive to recreate what they did in the studio live. They are different environments so I like to see it embraced as it is here. I was pleasantly surprised to hear my 11 year old singing along although she has no idea where she has heard the song. It's a great song which spontaneously often appears in my mouth as evidence of the mild tourrettes I'm convinced I have. My wife disagrees and just thinks I'm needy and seeking attention. It's also why she refuses to respond to me constantly giving her thumbs up and leaves me hanging when I want a high five.
Byrne's vocal shows it's limits as it reaches for the high notes but I also love this. It's not corrected. It's human. I don't think his voice is as bad as has been described in these pages recently. I actually really like his delivery - the songs are not sung they are performed. This is really obvious when you watch the concert which everyone should do although I think the deluxe version on Spotify sounds better.
Heaven sees the appearance of Weymouth on bass. She is primarily the reason I've been wanting to deep dive into Talking Heads. She's often on lists of underrated bass players and whilst Heaven isn't a big showcase for her there is enough going on with her choice of note length for me to recognise game. Heaven is a fine song which demonstrates the limits of Byrnes world view but there is something inherently fascinating about how they've started this live album. Where he fails to recognise the Creator I applaud the creator.
My goodness I love Thank You For Sending Me An Angel. It demonstrates the difference between a vocal being sung compared to performed and as the band begins to grow, although it's not at its peak, there is a real sense of joy. It's more obvious on the concert footage because you can clearly see it but you can also hear how much the band are enjoying playing together. I've been there playing bass - when the little you're doing is contributing to an amazing whole - it's thrilling. The created, creating, in reflection of the Creator.
Found A Job encourages us to create. It's a little annoying when celebrities and rich people talk as if being ordinary is somehow deficient. Most of us are ordinary people who pay for the dreams of the artist to be realised. If you can eschew the 9-5 and make money being a musician it's because the ordinary guy working the 9-5 is buying your overpriced t-shirt. We crowd fund your narcacism so have some respect! This song however doesn't say that you need to elevate the creative but instead you should elevate yourself by creating.
I've already written too much and invoked a religious spirit to this album but I think I'm accurately reflecting what's on here. Slippery People is full of religious imagery perhaps as a critique of religion but if you watch the concert you'll see it mimics a pentecostal revival at times. You've got a bunch of musicians vibing, people running around, people on the floor. I think there is reaching happening - that just the act of creating something is a spiritual experience. Talking Heads obviously create music which they are then even recreating for this live experience which is about even more than the music. Byrne even looks like a preacher with an amazing physicality and the whole band move in sync responding and reacting. It could almost be a church service with visuals behind the band but the music wouldn't be this good. The church worship machine removes a bit of personality.
There are a bunch of great songs on here played by people who are clearly enjoying themselves. The overall message is that creating is good for the human spirit. In whatever form that takes and I can unreluctantly agree with the sentiment.
One final word for Once in a Lifetime. This song is sooo wonderful it's worth a point or two on its own. It's a song I once hated due to some backwards idiocy but once I got over myself it's a song that I adore. It is fundamentally dancable and Byrne's delivery is impeccable. I don't know how you'd improve this song. It's David Silva levels of song writing.
Sorry for the long review and not even mentioning a third of the songs. It's a looong album and I needed to exorcise some ennui by this simple creative act. It's a 9 from me.
