Eno saves somewhat disjointed album

David Byrne and Brian Eno team up to make a strong album.

By Andrew Terry

Published Dec. 4, 2008

It's always worrisome to see some of the great artists of the past come out with new material. Their sounds of years before are classic but almost archaic, and a rehash will never be as be as good as the original.

David Byrne and Brian Eno are some of the greatest musical minds of the previous generation. Individually and collectively, they shaped what we now recognize as electronica (moreso Eno than Byrne).

They've come together for the second time in their careers with Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and, much to their credit, created something that is (almost) like their earlier works.

Byrne, the mastermind behind Talking Heads, wrote the lyrics and sang while Eno took hold of the musical side. All of this was done through e-mail, and both had virtually no idea where the other one was heading with the album.

This leads, as anyone would have been happy to tell them, to some issues.

Eno stepped outside of his usual musical style this time around. A lot of the album was created on an acoustic guitar, which usually works, but at times it feels unnatural here. The only song that really stands out as a sore thumb is "My Big Nurse," which is nothing short of country and rather dissonant compared to the rest of the album, which is either poppy or jagged electronica.

Eno still comes through with a lot of amazing electronic work. Songs like "Life Is Long" scream Radiohead, but that's probably a generational issue. It should probably be stated that Radiohead screams Eno, given his parental status to electronic compositions.

It's a shame that the whole album couldn't have been more of his minimalist electronic styling. Byrne focuses too much on the retreading of New Wave. It's not that New Wave isn't good, it's just that Eno's use of it borders on outdated and feels cheesy.

But Byrne puts forth some interesting themes with his lyrics. He tried to channel gospel music with Biblical themes. There are some moments of powerful wordings, but they are few. Most of the time they fall flat.

Even though this isn't an album of lyrical definition, the music is what makes the album. Eno is the true mastermind behind this creation, and it shows. It isn't that Byrne didn't come through, — he still adds his stylized voice, which adds a great deal — it's just that Eno shines far above him.

A lot of the disparity in sounds had to come from the fact that they wrote this album through e-mail. If they had been working on it side by side, it could have come out feeling less disjointed.

This album is certainly one worth checking out, especially since you can listen to it free on their Web site. Eno, even with some faults along the way, puts on a great show.