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Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
- Talking Heads’ second full-length album, 1978’s “More Songs About Buildings and Food,” contains perhaps the first traces of the band’s potential. It also marks the beginning of the band’s period of working with producer Brian Eno (a partnership that persists with David Byrne to this day). The album is distinctive for its crisp sound that incorporates a number of genres with an undercurrent of funkiness that drives all of the songs.
“Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” opens the album with a dance rhythm that slowly becomes more and more layered as the song continues. “With Our Love” is an ascending funk song particularly reminiscient of disco dance tunes. “The Good Thing” is a playful song with strangely experiential lyrics about determination and success. “Warning Sign” is mid-tempo, bouncy, and often dissonant, with abrasive and spectral vocals by Byrne. This song is haunting in its apparent prediction of the factors that would later lead to the band’s demise: the corrupting effect of fame and ego. “Found a Job” is driving punk and funk that discusses the artifice of television and its effect on people in real life. “Artists Only” is Byrne at his zaniest and most lyrically silly. The words, which center around the life of art school students, are juxtaposed with the song’s abrasive and almost violent guitar freakouts. “Take Me to the River” is a mediocre Al Green cover, despite the fact that it was the album’s hit song when it came out. “The Big Country” is Talking Heads’ attempt at country music and satires the country lifestyle.
The album is an excellent collection of songs. Lyrically poignant and musically driving, the album never lags or drags on. However, the album definitely begins better than it ends. The first half of the album is extremely solid, whereas the last few songs aren’t quite as distinctive. The album however, sees the particular development of Frantz and Weymouth as a rhythm section to be reckoned with. “More Songs” is an early preview and precursor to what Talking Heads would do on “Fear of Music,” “Remain in Light,” and “Speaking in Tongues,” and is a fun listen.
Reviewer: Kris Lorenz
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Reviewer's Rating: 8.5
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Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 24-Jun-2009
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