Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne received an expansive promotion deal when Microsoft bought the rights to "When Humans Do," his 2001 happy-go-lucky track off of "Look Into The Eyeball," for use in its Windows XP operating system.
The song was the sample track that came with the company's latest version of its Windows Media Player. Nearly 7 million copies of XP were sold within the first two weeks of its release.
One might think that sort of exposure would have guaranteed a return to the charts for the too-odd-for-words Byrne. Hopefully, his latest release, "Grown Backwards," will overcome the lull Byrne endured after the Microsoft licensing.
The album is perplexing on so many levels. First, its title, as it might suggest, offers not a throwback to the '80s - or even this century. Byrne's idea of going backwards means harping back to the roots of all popular music - classical.
"Glass, Concrete & Stone" is a bright high school band-ish opener, with Byrne's trademark minimalist approach to creating grandiose vocal pop. While the classical framework is prevalent on nearly every track, some songs take the stroll back to "Look Into The Eyeball" and his 1994 eponymous release, notably "Tiny Apocalypse," "She Only Sleeps" and "The Other Side of This Life."
Byrne's classical detours on "Empire" and "Au Fond Du Temple Saint," on which he duets with Rufus Wainwright - himself a raunchy cross between Elton John and Fiona Apple - are sugary at worst and heart-wrenching at best.
When presented in bitter contrast to the self-parodying bliss of his new wave roots, the result is pure brilliance - one that transcends any genre.
David Byrne brings his tour to UB in a rare appearance May 12 at the Center for the Arts. Tickets are now on sale at the CFA Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
