Tags: album, Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, David Byrne, tribute, Miley Cyrus, Paramore
One of the, or potentially, the best live album ever produced has once again been thrust into the limelight over the last couple of weeks, as the A24 commissioned tribute album has been released. Featuring an eclectic mix of acts, spanning genres and continents, every track on the album has been granted fresh life ahead of the 40th anniversary of the original release. From Miley Cyrus and Kevin Abstract, to The Linda Lindas and Toro y Moi – get the playlist above spinning and lets have a deeper look at some of the best moments on the album.
The album opens with Miley Cyrus’ offering – covering the iconic ‘Psycho Killer’. Featuring the original electronic mix that David Bryne plays on stage in the original recording, Cyrus then layers bold synths and raises the tempo significantly. Effortlessly, the original track has been transformed into a dancefloor filling, stomping electronic dance track with airs of Gaga channelling through, and there’s nothing not to like about this. Cyrus starts the album off brilliantly.
Next up is The National paying homage to the wonderful ballad that is Heaven. An extremely underrated track from the Talking Heads discography, Heaven tells the story of feeling stuck as a young adult in the cycle of life, which The National translates perfectly. With no real change from the original, The National have covered it perfectly, with the slight intonations of subtle basslines in the background working beautifully.
Moving on to the third track, Thank You For Sending Me an Angel, Blondshell here takes one of the faster, punchier tracks from the original album and slows it right down. However, it works. Blondshell holds notes and delivers a fairly haunting vocal performance over what is usually an upbeat tune, and bizarrely, it works. Another solid entry on the album.
Now, for one of my personal favourites on the album. The Linda Lindas cover Found a Job absolutely perfectly. With the oldest member of the all-girl LA quarter being only 19 years old, the tune is delivered with such maturity and sounds brilliant. Following the original structure and vocal pattern as the original, The Linda Lindas add in notes of modern rock and post-punk which fit the track really well. An absolutely fantastic cover.
The next offering is Slippery People performed by Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado. The Argentinian indie rockers cover the track in Spanish, which was not something I was originally expecting listening to the album with no prior knowledge of the artist. They reduce the tempo from the original dramatically and do it well, however, it does lose some of the spontaneity and high energy that David Byrne delivers so well in the original rendition.
Paramore, and the cover used to tease and announce this album, follow on from Él Mató. When I first learned of this cover album being in production, I was worried the legacy of Stop Making Sense could be somewhat harmed by a few dodgy covers – but upon hearing Paramore’s version of Burning Down the House, I was immediately reassured the album was in safe hands. Paying homage to the original track perfectly, Hayley Williams’ vocals on this are outstanding, even mirroring Byrne’s inflections from the live recorded version 40 years. However, although it is very obviously a Talking Heads song, it somehow still sounds very Paramore – with Williams and the band being able to inject the same amount of fun into the tune, and then some. This could be the best on the entire album.
DJ Tunez had a hard act to follow with this one, but definitely does himself some justice. The Nigerian DJ has turned Life During Wartime into an afrobeat medley that has quite the soothing effect – albeit a harsh comedown from the energy Paramore provided. Also strange to hear such a calming tone on a track that discusses covert operations during a war, but nevertheless, a good showing from DJ Tunez.
Another real high point on the album now with Teezo Touchdown’s cover of Making Flippy Floppy, with the artist fully buying into the project; even donning Byrne’s iconic oversized suit in the music video for his contribution. The American rapper and singer-songwriter puts his heart into this cover with a very strong vocal performance pairing with the funky beat perfectly.
Jean Dawson’s rendition of Swamp is one that I’m personally not too keen on, having to check which song it actually was as I was listening to it. Nevertheless, it has its good moments, such as the ethereal ending to the tune. Not my cup of tea, but sure its catered to someone.
The Cavemen’s version of What A Day That Was on the other hand, I’m a big fan of. Hailing from Nigeria, the duo slightly slow the tune down but paired with the unpolished vocals of lead singer Kingsley Okorie, it works brilliantly.
Moving on now to what is, in my opinion, possibly the best love song ever written in This Must Be the Place. BADBADNOTGOOD and Norah Jones keep the essence of the song exactly the same, and why not? The track is perfect and best left as is, with the duo doing exactly that, and doing it well.
Now, when looking at the tracklist for this album before its release, I was extremely excited to see Kevin Abstract’s name next to one of my favourite tracks, Once in a Lifetime. However, I feel as though this version in particular has not lived up to expectations. It feels as though it’s trying to do too much, with musical breakdowns all the way throughout and completely changing the chorus. Another one that’s not for me.
But to immediately lighten the mood, it’s Toro y Moi and Brijean’s extremely fun cover of what is already a fun song in of itself, Genius of Love. It feels as though if the Tom Tom Club were formed 40 years later, they would very much sound something like this.
Girl in Red’s offering of Girlfriend Is Better is yet another highlight on this fantastic album. This song fits their style of songwriting and delivery to a tee, so much so it almost feels like the first time hearing the original again. A brilliant rendition.
Now this is one that I can’t get on board with personally. Although it’s in the spirit of the album obviously, a cover of a cover seems a bit too far for my liking. On top of this, I’m not too keen on Lorde’s vocals on this track. Another one that’s not to my personal liking.
The album then rounds with what is another perfect song, with Chicano Batman and Money Mark’s cover of Crosseyed and Painless. The original energy of the track is kept and even amplified on this, with funky synth progressions added to conclude the album. It’s a great listen. All in all, Stop Making Sense – A Tribute Album is great. Although it sometimes has its lulls, the highs on the album are atmospheric. A brilliant group of artists from around the world joining forces to pay tribute to one of the greatest pieces of musical art ever produced. Very well worth a listen, and maybe ten more listens after that. A strong 9/10 rating for me.
Photo credits: Craig Howell – Talking Heads 1982, David Byrne & Tina Weymouth