Remain In Light
by Talking Heads

From calsper 04/12/2015 02:09 | #139352 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

David Byrne set out to do the extreme with Eno as producer in '80 when post punk and new wave magically intertwined with obscure funk, which was the foundation for the amazing "Remain In Light". Polyrhytmics and samples all over the place is the key to musical fragmentation here.

Actually, literally written out of fragmented post-it notes, this is utterly freely associative and absurd in its poetry - and the music follows in the best way possible.

Radiohead would not have seen the day of light, Yorke has admitted on several occasions, if it wasn't for these guys' absolute masterpiece.

My favorite strange album! "Once In A Lifetime" is in a class of its own. (Edited)

The layers. DEAR LORD THE LAYERS. For me, this is how "Remain in Light" won me over. The abundance of chanting vocals, the abstract guitar picking, the erratic percussion is almost like a breath of fresh air to me in today's seemingly-unhinged music scene (yes i know the album came out 34 years ago). The only downside for me was the last 3 songs.
Whilst everything from "Born Under Punches" to "Houses in Motion" is brimming with creative energy, the final tracks come to me as somewhat of an anticlimax, particularly "The Overload", which I am still beating myself black and blue to finally understand.
Never the less, Remain in Light seems to always come down to Brian Eno's production, so let's not take anything away from it. It's magnificent. The texture, the layering (de ja vu?), even the random electronic twinges make this album a true classic.
It's a really brilliant album of progressively-original pop songs. 9/10 (Edited)

If I had to describe this album in two words - crazy and fresh. It sounds fresh even today, so I can't believe how mind blowing it was in 1980. It takes sound of this band which was much improved on the Fear Of Music even higher. Starts with Born Under Punches - ond of the best here - and attacks listener with shouting vocals, distorted electronic instrumental and surrealistic lyrics, all of it creates really exciting opener. Crosseyed And Painless is catchy, funky, very danceable tune with amazing vocal performance. Then we hit The Great Curve which may at first appear as chaotic mess, but with closer listening it becomes clear that there are very well crafted elements put together creating this beautifull madness.
Once In A Lifetime has great watery effect and the catchiest chorus that stays with you forever, excellent lyrics with many memorable phrases (my favorite - "there is water at the bottom of the ocean"), this is a pure 10/10 track. Houses In Motion is another good track especially singing is outstanding here. Seen And Not Seen - my least favorite, instrumental is amazing as always, but vocal performance is disappointing. Listening Wind has surrealistic sound and amazing David Byrne vocal performance and incredible instrumental middle section - probably most underrated track. The Overload has dark, eerie atmosphere and sounds like something from Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division, not bad track, but doesn't fit the vibe of this album. Overall I think this album is amazing and it deserves all the praise it gets.

Second half doesn't quite live up to the first half but it's not too shabby. As for the first 4 tracks, they represent a kind of musical perfection, particularly "Crosseyed and Painless" and "Once In A Lifetime". No one's ever made another album that quite sounds like this.

And you may ask yourself,
How did they do that?