A Sampling of the Upcoming Talking Heads Tribute Album

A while back I had heard some rumors that a Talking Heads tribute album was coming out. It was going to be musicians covering their live, and best, album, "Stop Making Sense". I was hyped for the record. Then I totally forgot about it. This happens to me from time to time. I get excited about something, then it gets delayed and then I forget.

Thanks to watching Instagram reels, a musician I had never heard of, Girl in Red, put out their version of "Girlfriend is Better". It was just a commercial, just a short snippet, but it got me excited yet again. I checked Spotify to see if the full record was out, and while it doesn't come out for a few more weeks, there are four songs from the record available to listen to right now. So I fired it up on the car ride to school this morning.

The first song I heard was Paramore's version of "Burning Down the House". Paramore has gotten more on my radar lately. I really like their newer single, "Hard Times". It isn't that emo sound they became known for. This is more like a pop/soul hit. I love it. So, I was looking forward to hearing their take on "Burning Down the House". I think it is great. They do the song justice. It has their new sound sprinkled throughout the song, but it pays homage to what  Talking Heads did with this song in the first place. It was a good track for me to start off the new record with this morning. "Burning Down the House" was followed by Teezo Touchdown's take on "Making Flippy Floppy". This song has always been hit or miss for me. Sometimes I'm super into it and want to hear it over and over. Other times, I skip it without a second thought. I also have no idea who Teezo Touchdown is or what kind of music he makes. But, this version of "Making Flippy Floppy" is rad. It is fun. It has a great groove to it. Teezon Touchdown sings his heart out, and I'm here for it. His take on the song has me interested in checking out his other music. My daughter was goofing on his name, but after a minute, she started to dance to the song a bit. That is as good a recommendation as a newish artist can get in my house. Lorde then came on with "Take Me to the River". This is a cover in the first place, one which I think Talking Heads does better than the original. Lorde really nails it. She is one hell of a singer, and hearing her belt this one out brings me back to her hit record "Melodrama". When given proper material, or writing something herself, Lorde is one of the best in the business. She takes this old song and makes it new. She makes it her own. She absolutely nails every note. The band that accompanies her is right at her level, and they nail it as well. This is my favorite track on the record so far. I have already listened to it multiple times. The final song I heard is the aforementioned "Girlfriend is Better" by Girl in Red. The few seconds I heard on Instagram last night awoke my senses. The full version is even better. If not for Lorde, this would be my favorite track. It is fun, groovy, poppy, rocks out and I want to go back and listen over and over again. I also am going to check out Girl in Red's music for sure. When a band can do such justice to one of the best songs ever written, that is a sign of a band I'm going to become a big time fan of in the near future.

I'm all in on these four songs, and cannot wait for the rest of the record to come out soon. Go check this little ep out right now, and when the full record comes out, let's all rock to it together. I'll have a review when the full album comes out. For now though, I'm excited to have these 4 tracks. I think I'll go listen to them again. You should do the same. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Greatest American Music: Talking Heads "(Nothing But) Flowers"

As you all know, last year I became enamored with Talking Heads. That has obviously shifted into the new year, and I am still playing plenty of their music at home, in the car and when I go running. By now I have heard every album at least twice. Some I listen to more, others less. The one I listen to the least is "Naked". It, for me, is a very discombobulated album. It is kind of all over the place. One minute it sounds like their classic stuff, then the next song is totally different, and seems like it shouldn't be on the record. It is a strange record

One song, the most famous one on the album by a mile, "(Nothing But) Flowers", that is an amazing song. It is pure Talking Heads, it has great vocals from Byrne, and the band is top notch. I wish the whole album was like this. What I love most about the song is the lyrics. In my many listens recently I have been paying more and more attention to the lyrics, and "(Nothing But) Flowers" has some of the best they've ever written. I also love the message of the song, and it kind of sounds like a place I would like to visit, if only it were real.

The song starts off very simple, ostensibly telling us about Adam and Eve, and how Byrne and the person he is talking about are them in this vision they wrote about. But it shifts pretty quick from so long ago to talking about how cars have no more gasoline. It puts the listener right back into the current world, or the world of the 80's when this song was written. The very next, very short verse is one of my all time favorites. After the Adam and Eve story, and cars being gone, Byrne sings, "there was a factory/now there are mountains and rivers/you got it you got it". I LOVE this ideal. There are far, far too many factories, especially now. Factories seem to go up yearly in the US, and they replace land that was covered with mountains, rivers, trees, grass, wildlife, all of these things and so much more. I kind of wish that there weren't so many factories. I want more mountains and rivers. The next part of the chorus is about them catching a rattlesnake and saying they have something for dinner. Again, the band is going back to ruffage and survival mode. I, again, like this idea. I am not big on hunting, I think it is quite barbaric in fact. But if you have to do it for sustenance, then it makes sense to me. That is what I envision this couple using hunting for. They may not want to, but to survive, they have to. Then we get the best part of the song to me, "there was a shopping mall/now it's all covered with flowers/you got it, you got it". I am seeing shopping malls go down left and right, and if they were covered in flowers, that would be beautiful. Unfortunately we do not get to see what it could grow into because when a mall goes down, they usually build some kind of factory in its place. I prefer the nature idea. Then the song takes a turn in the final part of the chorus. After saying all these things I think are wonderful and cool and would like to see, Byrne sings "if this is paradise/I wish I had a lawnmower/you got it, you got it". I mean, I get that grass needs to be mowed, but I feel like Talking Heads have made up this utopian type of forest life, then bam, they want it gone. I disagree with this, but it is another reason I like this song. The Talking Heads never ceases to amaze me with their writing, and this is a perfect example. They give us this wonderful, idealistic world, at least to me, and then smash it, saying they want it gone.

From here on out the song just gets better and better. In verse two Byrne talks about being an angry young man and pretending he was a billboard on the side of the road. He then tells us he fell in love with a road that used to be real estate which has now shifted to fields and trees. Again, my ideal version of a town. He goes on to say that the town used to be highways and cars, but it is now "sacrificed" for agriculture. He finishes up the second verse with, "I thought we'd start over/but I guess we were wrong". I love this. It is just like the chorus. I get this beautiful picture in my head of a former bustling city being turned into a tree and leaf covered forest. But then Bryne says he just figured they'd make more of the same, but he realizes he was wrong, but he still doesn't want the forest stuff that I do. The second chorus is to the same tune of the first, but it has different mentions. The Pizza Hut's have now all been covered with daisies and the honky tonks, Dairy Queens and 7-Eleven's are now all gone. I think that rules. We don't need all that convenience so easily available. I would like to see less stores and restaurants and more forest and greenery and wildlife. But Byrne almost opines for these things that are now gone. I don't. I think this world they have built up so far sounds awesome. It sounds like a place I want to see.

The band ends the song dreaming of cherry pies, chocolate chip cookies and candy bars. They used to microwave, but now they just eat nuts and berries. The discount store has turned into a cornfield. Again, I would miss these same things for a minute, but I feel like the alternate version they are posing, I could get used to rather quickly, especially the nuts and berries. I would love to do that. The final lyrics are the ultimate turn on this world they created that I love. Byrne sings, to end the song, "don't leave me stranded here/I can't get used to this lifestyle". I, again, disagree. Humans are so adaptable, and I love the world they created. I love the idea of a forest covered landscape, scourging for food, living like people used to in the old days. That sounds idyllic to me.

"(Nothing But) Flowers" is a classic Talking Heads song for a myriad of reasons. Number one for me, the place they have created, the one that Byrne doesn't want to be stranded in, sounds like Utopia to me. That is why I love this song so much. It talks about replacing all the stuff we don't need with stuff that would be so much better, and then the band gets all upset realizing they might have to live in a world like this. I would be stoked, and when I listen, I yearn for a world like the one they made up. It would be rad.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "American Utopia"

Yesterday I had the chance to sit down, uninterrupted for two hours, and watch "American Utopia". This is the new concert movie from David Byrne and directed by Spike Lee. It was his short run Broadway show in fact, and it was absolutely amazing. I was totally blown away by the entire thing. I was excited to watch, and when it started, that excitement jumped to a 10.

The opening of “American Utopia”, with Byrne holding a fake brain and singing the song "Here", was pretty god damn cool. The song, and the prop, were a perfect way to open this show. From there on out, Byrne and his band went on to crush the entire set. The spectacle of it all, the band, the music, the message, the way the message was put out there, Byrne interacting with the audience, it all worked out to perfection. I used to attend many live shows, and I still did up until February of this year, and I have never seen something like this. This was so over the top, but in the best possible way. I absolutely loved the way they did the lights, the shadows, everything was done up so well. I loved hearing the songs I have gotten to know off of "American Utopia" in the recent months. As you all know, I am a late comer to David Byrne and Talking Heads. I am catching up during the pandemic, especially when I go running. So seeing this now, for me, was perfect timing. It has all these songs that I am growing to love, and understand more, on a daily basis. The version they play of "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", which is my current favorite Talking Heads song, was so cool. I was dancing on my couch while they played it. "I Zimbra" was rad. The way they performed it, it was so cool to hear all the isolated instruments. "I Should Watch TV" was quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen on TV, or in person for that matter, ever. That was done so well, and when Byrne crashes through the chains, and the stage goes to black, damn that was awesome. "I Dance Like This" was really well choreographed. The way the entire band moved in sync, and danced their hearts out, it was really neat. "Everyday is a Miracle" was pretty brilliant, and I was pretty moved by Byrne's performance. I really enjoyed when Byrne talked about the Detroit Choir doing a version of his song, "Everybody's Coming to My House", and making it a totally different song without changing anything. I also liked why his version is much sadder than the Detroit Choir's version. It was also great to hear the Choir's version during the end credits. "Once in a Lifetime" was really exceptional because Byrne recreated a lot of the dancing he did on "Stop Making Sense". I liked that. "Burning Down the House" sounded as full as ever, and when the whole band came together, my goodness was that amazing. The song that moved me to tear up, literally, was their version of the great Janelle Monae song "Hell You Talmbout". To listen to the full band play and sing the song, then say the names of the too many murdered African American people, with their pictures placed in the movie, was heartbreaking and moving and made me want to go and start a revolution. This was simply put, a perfect representation of this important song. And closing the show with "Road to Nowhere", walking into the crowd and singing and playing, it made me miss live shows.

"American Utopia" really had everything I wanted. It was great music. Byrne discussed important, pressing issues, like climate change and voting, amongst other things. The band was incredible, and to see them perform all these songs was truly exceptional. These people are amazing musicians and performers. And it made me miss live music, which is what I look for now when I watch concert movies. Spike Lee's directing was top notch also. Lee can do no wrong. If he doesn't win an Oscar this year, for this or "Da 5 Bloods", it would be very disappointing. I highly, highly recommend everyone watch this movie. It is great music, it is timely, it is important and it rules.

Seriously, go watch this immediately.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to "Talking Heads"

I grew up in a house where music was played constantly. My parents are children of the 60's, two of my brothers are kids of the late 70's and early 80's and my brother closest in age to me was a hip hop kid in the early 90's. There has been plenty of music, and plenty of different music that I have heard in my 37 years so far on this planet. Like most people I have developed my own taste, I have very emotionally charged feelings about what I like and why I like it and I consider myself a music snob. But, my taste has been molded by everyone in my family. I have my love for The Beatles from my dad. The Band is one of the best bands ever, and I have my mom to thank for that. Hip hop groups like Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, I have RD to thank for that. Jam music and hippy bands, I can attribute my other brothers, and my oldest brother's wife for my love, albeit short lasting, for jam music.

The one band that all three of my brothers have listened to, and grown to love over the years, Talking Heads, never really, truly spoke to me. I listened to them. I was the typical guy that liked their hits, but I never really ventured beyond that. I would just listen to their songs that I heard in movies or on TV shows or other bands covering them live. Recently though I have found myself revisiting bands that I never gave a true chance. I have been listening to a lot of bands people have told me about, but I never really felt that I needed to give them the time. I am also running all the time during the pandemic, and lately I have been devouring music on my runs because podcasts can get a bit boring, or they don't give me the energy that I need. My kids would also much rather listen to music than another basketball podcast. Over the past week I decided that I was going to give Talking Heads a fair shake. I don't know if it was the new Scott Aukermann and Adam Scott podcast about them that got to me, or if I just decided it was time, or a combination of the two, but the time had come to give in.

Boy am I glad that I did. Talking Heads are absolutely incredible, way ahead of their time, geniuses, have made some of the best music that has ever existed and just an all out wonderful band. Forgive me if I have already written about them in my Greatest American band pieces I did, but I didn't really get them until just the other day. In the past three days I have listened to "77", "More Songs About Buildings and Food" and "Stop Making Sense" each about three times from start to finish. This is some of the most incredible music I have ever heard in my life. To hear them, especially on a debut album like "77", sound like they did is amazing. They were so ahead of their contemporaries. They had a clearer vision than anyone else where their genre was headed. If I had to pick a genre for them I'd say they are post punk, but Talking Heads is so much more than just a genre. They bend so many different styles and blends of music. They can do so many different styles. The band is truly phenomenal, and David Byrne, he may be one of the most musically talented writers and composers of all time. Hearing what he wrote on "77" is simply astounding. Then to hear the sonic change they made on "MSABAF", they knew where they wanted to go, got some help from Brian Eno, and they went there, but also went beyond.

Then yesterday I decided to give "Stop Making Sense" my first listen. I have read and heard many things about the record, but I never dove into it. I decided I was going to go run for about an hour, so I figured it was a perfect time to finally check it out. Well, my run lasted for an hour and 20 minutes because I had to hear the whole thing. I got three songs into it and I was absolutely blown away by what I was hearing. It has to be one of the best live albums that has ever been made. Listening to "Stop Making Sense" actually makes me miss live music that much more. I didn't think I was missing it much during the pandemic, but this record changed all that. I wanted to be there when they recorded this. I want to see Talking Heads. I know it's not viable anymore, but this album makes me miss it, and wish for live music. It is perfectly crafted, perfectly sequenced and lets the band totally shine. And talk about hits. This record is filled with incredible live versions of any Talking Heads song any average fan could ask for. But they also throw in some other stuff that just blows me away. When they turn into the Tom Tom Club and play "Genius of Love", it is such a change departure, but it is groovy as hell. To go from that right into a sped up version of "Girlfriend is Better" shows how gifted they were as a band. Also, the version of "This Must Be the Place" that they play, they call it "Naive Melody", makes me adore the song so much more. "Life During Wartime", which they play right after "Burning Down the House", is legendary. And that is how the whole record is. It just gets better and better with every listen.

I have found that has been my feeling with the first three records I have chosen to listen to as well. I have found myself craving their music lately. I wake up and turn them on when I make breakfast. I listen to them when I workout. They work for everything. I'm so excited to see where they go from here, and how much more I grow to love them. I definitely waited too long to really listen to Talking Heads, but better late than never, right. They are clearly one of the best, most influential and most important bands of all time. Talking Heads are amazing. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.