10. Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings And Food

Falling in love with a record upon first listen is something that does not happen to me often, sadly. Even if I really, really like an album the first time I hear it, it’ll take some time for it to grow on me, to gain some serious affection. So hearing an album that I love immediately is a pretty rare, special thing.

More Songs About Buildings And Food is, for me, the most intense example of this trend. From the very first track (the anthemic gallop of “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel”), my reaction was along the lines of “ah! ah!! yes!!” And it just got better and better from there. My immediate reaction to More Songs was so powerful, in fact, that even now I tend to misremember it as being the first Talking Heads record I ever heard, as if I hadn’t had Remain In Light for almost two years by then. And it’s not like I even disliked Remain In Light - I really liked it! Same thing happened with Born To Run, actually; I loved it, but I didn’t really get into Springsteen until I heard Born In The USA a year and a half later (coincidentally). But I’m getting off topic here.

More Songs marks maybe my favorite marriage of art-school post-punk and honest-to-goodness dance pop. As strange as these songs can get, each one puts a serious emphasis on groove and rhythm, thanks (mostly) in part to Brian Eno’s production. Every song on here is eminently danceable, and makes it pretty clear that the Talking Heads were always destined to be a commercially popular band (their “Take Me To The River” cover was their first hit, after all). Not only does Eno give the whole record a sense of cohesion, but Tina Weymouth’s bass playing has never sounded better, and David Byrne’s beautifully nerve-wracked singing rises to new heights here. Who else could pull off the terrifying artist’s lament of “Artists Only” and the sultry cooing of “Take Me To The River” with equal conviction? Man. I haven’t heard a Talking Heads record I haven’t loved (maybe because I haven’t heard their last two records yet), but none of them hit me on a purely instinctive level with the same intensity as this one.

Song Sample: “The Good Thing.” I love every track on here, but I feel like “The Good Thing” is rarely ever singled out as a highlight, which is strange because it is (in my eyes) one of the most incredible tracks the Heads ever recorded. It starts off like a cutesy song that could’ve fit right in on their first record, then a strange sort of brainwashing chant (featuring lyrics like “As we economize, efficiency is multiplied”??) and then - apropos of NOTHING - closing with a stunning, disco-funk workout. All in 3 minutes!! It’s like a funkier Wire song, or something! Man, it’s the best.

1. jasonarewhy said: Sometimes this is still my favorite Talking Heads album. The Good Thing is always my favorite song from it, for the exact reasons you stated.
2. seanrose posted this