Remain in Light is a crystallisation of elements that, at a glance, do not seem to add up to a rock masterpiece. The album is underpinned by the ebb and flow of afrobeat inspired rhythm, ornamented by the avant-garde, laser focused production of Brian Eno and punctuated with the urbane strangeness of David Byrne’s lyrics. Intriguing as these individual elements may be, on Remain in Light they combine, seemingly by pure alchemy, to create a record that is so much more than the sum of its parts. This record moves. Sometimes it moves smoothly and sinuously, sometimes with an awkward stutter but it is its state of perpetual motion which defines it. Talking Heads have one foot in dance and one foot in punk – the two dominant genres of the late 70’s New York scene that spawned them – yet they wilfully defy both in this bold meeting of head and heart that leaves the senses reeling.
Pete Whelan 