David Byrne – Who Is The Sky review

Anybody wandering if de facto music legends like David Byrne ever think about anything well, normal should listen no further than Moisturizing Thing, a track that lodges part way through his first solo album in six years. “My love gave me a moisturizing thing” it begins, before “Said, Hey, David, put this on your skin/It says it’s anti-aging, antioxidant too.”

So there it was – those stumped about his bedtime routine immediately had all their questions answered. It’s superficially jokey, but as with much of Who Is The Sky there’s a message beneath the pretext (In this case, not judging people solely by how they look).

Recorded with New York based ensemble the Ghost Train Orchestra, produced by Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus) and featuring Hayley Williams and St. Vincent, it’s a body of work that manages to sound both quaint and grand. Here opener Everybody Laughs shows Byrne hasn’t lost the ear for melodic pop which made late period Talking Heads unlikely chart dwellers, whilst the weirdness of I Met The Buddha At A Downtown Party and The Avant Garde take a bit of time to get your head around.

Thankfully the guy who was formerly the guy in the big suit is content to still pilot this ship with some alacrity, the gamboling duet with Williams What Is The Reason For It? remarkably neat and clever. Ever wondered why David Byrne still looks so good, despite not reforming Talking Heads like 99% of the world’s population desires? Well, he makes records like Who Is The Sky, and exfoliates. Probably.

You can read a full review here.