David Byrne has never shied away from collaborating with other interesting musicians. Case in point: his new album with Annie Clark (a/k/a St. Vincent), Love This Giant.
In truth — I am so out of the loop musically anymore — I’d never heard of Annie Clark (as herself or as St. Vincent). She’s been around for several years now, playing, singing, and recording with several indie bands as well as on her own. She and Byrne crossed paths at a couple of concerts, and their first actual contact was arranged by a charity project interested in seeing them together in a benefit performance… a performance in a bookstore. Over the course of some months, they toyed around with with some ideas — among them, how best to deal with the acoustics in such a small space. Clark, it seems, came up with the what’s-wrong-with-this-picture? idea of using a brass band as the principal accompaniment.
Sadly, no one has yet put together that bookstore performance; happily, Clark and Byrne have given us a song, and now a video, like this one. In the video, Byrne — channeling his familiar dancing-stork soul through the body of, say, the later Dan O’Herlihy — comes across a lovely, apparently helpless young lady lying in the road, and proceeds to pepper her with question marks. She answers only with one of the most difficult questions of all, and one that Byrne’s character himself manages to leave out (and disregard):
[Lyrics]
“Who” is the first song in the track listing. From reviewers who’ve heard the entire album, I understand that Byrne and Clark sorta-kinda take turns on lead vocals as they work their way through Love This Giant (which will be released in the US on Tuesday, 9/11). So far, I’ve heard only one other single, the second and rather perkier track, “Weekend in the Dust”… in which — yes — Clark does the vocal honors. The horns are still there, too, especially a big old saxophone and/or tuba:
[Below, click Play button to begin Weekend in the Dust. While audio is playing, volume control appears at left — a row of little vertical bars. This clip is 3:07 long.]
[Lyrics not yet available]
Jayne says
I never tire of David Byrne. Also unfamiliar (as well as out of the loop) with St. Vincent–unless we are talking about the actual Saint, with whom, to be honest, I’m also unfamiliar.
Great video, and a real treat on a Saturday evening, even when viewed on Sunday. ;)
John says
Y’know, I wondered about that “St. Vincent” moniker. For what it’s worth, Wikipedia cites a New York Times piece about her, from 2009:
“I like things that are unsettling or a little bit creepy,” she said. Her stage name was inspired by the hospital where Dylan Thomas spent his last hours. “It’s the place where poetry comes to die,” she said, joking. “That’s me.”
(I guess this was the hospital.)
And I do remember seeing (and being unsettled/creeped out by) this video:
Actually wrote this post on Saturday afternoon. But it seemed more like a Saturday-night sort of song, so I scheduled it to go live at 9 pm. (After, of course, agonizing over what time people who are actually out on Saturday nights listen to music these days. Ha!)
someone's brudder says
I’m with Jayne – ditto the first sentence in its entirety. Great even for a Wednesday lunch (my usual mid-day music break :-} ).
Byrne never ceases to provide interest for me musically, and I guess I know where my next musical shopping excursion will take me…
However, now I’m wondering if I need to get this on a physical disc, as his/their visual sense just might make it pretty cool on CD, or dare I say – vinyl?! What would THAT package look like?
John says
Even if you didn’t like it, I’d have been sooooo disappointed if you in particular hadn’t seen and heard this (here or elsewhere). DB and you will probably be permanently linked together in my head.
(Have you ever stopped by at his “journal” site?)
Should you decide the physical object isn’t that critical, don’t run off, trembling, to iTunes. Things Can Be Arranged, you know… Vinyl does have its charms, but I haven’t had an easy way to play albums that way in, like, decades. Finally got a turntable a couple of years ago, but it’s one of those ones for converting analog to digital — not really a player.
s.o.m.e.one's brudder says
BTW: Cheerleader video – beyond deconstructivist to self-destructivist? but it helps to explain their comraderie, I think.
jules says
Last time I looked, this was over at NPR’s First Listen, FYI!
[Time interlude]…
Here we go: http://www.npr.org/2012/09/02/160262123/first-listen-david-byrne-st-vincent-love-this-giant. Oops. Audio is no longer available. Ah well.
John says
Thanks, Jules — I hadn’t seen that! (I’ve temporarily shelved nearly all my music-related newsletters, while burrowing my way out from under a workload.)
I’m sure it’s just coincidence, but I bet the audio was available there right up until the album’s release. :)
(So good to see you here!)
John says
Anyone still following this thread might like this interview with Byrne at the McSweeney’s site. (He’s WRITTEN A BOOK. Egad.)
someone's brudder says
and probably DESIGNED A HOUSE, too, dammit!