Album Review

David Byrne - American Utopia

Name: David Byrne - American Utopia Review
Item: American Utopia
Rating: 3
Author: Dork

David Byrne is still a unique character in modern music.

Released: 21st October 2019

Words: Dork

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David Byrne is still a unique character in modern music.

David Byrne is back! And he's really back this time, not just making a strange opera about Imelda Marcos!

This search for answers runs through the whole of ‘American Utopia', providing a melancholy backdrop to an often funny, silly and absurd album.

The record itself is a mixed bag, feeling like a stream of consciousness put to music. Byrne flits between topics, exploring existential thoughts on freedom (‘It's Not Dark Up Here'), dogs as a metaphor for human limitations (‘Dog's Mind') and what heaven would be like for a chicken (‘Every Day Is A Miracle), to name just a few.

David Byrne is still a unique character in modern music.

David Byrne is back! And he's really back this time, not just making a strange opera about Imelda Marcos!

This search for answers runs through the whole of ‘American Utopia', providing a melancholy backdrop to an often funny, silly and absurd album.

Unfortunately, the off-the-wall lyrics aren't always backed up by the delivery. Songs like opener ‘I Dance Like This' and ‘Every Day is a Miracle' seem to drag on far longer than their run times, in no small part because of Byrne's slow, meandering vocals. The contrast between these weaker cuts and the energy of lead single ‘Everybody's Coming To My House' is marked, with Byrne playing to his strengths on the latter with sharper, stabbing vocals which add an urgency missing from the weaker moments on ‘American Utopia'.

That said, David Byrne is still a unique character in modern music. Even the most lacklustre offerings on this album are worth listening to for the lyrics alone, and at its very best ‘American Utopia' features some of Byrne's most accessible, most fun and (whisper it) most Talking Heads songs in years. Jake Hawkes

David Byrne - American Utopia

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Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight

Gretel - Squish

Tomora - Come Closer

The Itch - It's The Hope That Kills You

Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime?

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope

Julia Cumming - Julia

Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight

Gretel - Squish

Tomora - Come Closer

The Itch - It's The Hope That Kills You

Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime?

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope

Julia Cumming - Julia

Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight

Gretel - Squish

Tomora - Come Closer

The Itch - It's The Hope That Kills You

Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime?

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope

Julia Cumming - Julia

Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight

Gretel - Squish

Tomora - Come Closer

The Itch - It's The Hope That Kills You

Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime?

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope

Julia Cumming - Julia

Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight

Gretel - Squish

Tomora - Come Closer

The Itch - It's The Hope That Kills You

Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime?

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope

Julia Cumming - Julia

Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight

Gretel - Squish

Tomora - Come Closer

The Itch - It's The Hope That Kills You

Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime?

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope