American Utopia

Rating

Album: American Utopia
#	Song Title		Time
1)	I Dance Like This	More Info...
2)	Gasoline And Dirty Sheets	More Info...
3)	Every Day Is A Miracle	More Info...
4)	Dog's Mind	More Info...
5)	This Is That	More Info...
6)	It's Not Dark Up Here	More Info...
7)	Bullet	More Info...
8)	Doing The Right Thing	More Info...
9)	Everybody's Coming To My House	More Info...
10)	Here	More Info...
2)	Gasoline and Dirty Sheets	More Info...
3)	Every Day Is a Miracle	More Info...
4)	Dog's Mind	More Info...
5)	This Is That	More Info...
6)	It's Not Dark Up Here	More Info...
7)	Bullet	More Info...
8)	Doing the Right Thing	More Info...
9)	Everybody's Coming to My House	More Info...
10)	Here	More Info...

Performer Notes

Personnel: David Wrench (programming).
Audio Mixer: David Wrench.
Recording information: Crowspacer Studio, NYC; DB Spare Bedroom, NYC; Livingston Studio 1, London; Oscilloscope Studio, NYC; Reservoir Studios, NYC; XL Studios, NYC.
"Is this meant ironically? Is it a joke? Do I mean this seriously? In what way?" David Byrne seems to be simultaneously inviting and acknowledging some likely reactions to his 2018 album, American Utopia, in his own liner notes. At a time when America has been thrown into a state of chaos -- something Byrne witnessed and creatively reacted to as an artist during the Reagan era -- here he imagines what appears to be an alternate version of the United States and the people who live in it. (Animals, too -- a variety of critters pop up in "Every Day Is a Miracle," and "Dog's Mind" imagines how our canine friends view the world.) Not everything in Byrne's Bizarro World America is a good time, especially on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "This Is That." But much of this album portrays folks who are both dazzled and overwhelmed by the abundant possibilities presented in "It's Not Dark Up Here," "Everybody's Coming to My House," and "I Dance Like This." American Utopia began as a series of rhythm tracks created by Brian Eno, which Byrne then fashioned into songs, with a variety of other collaborators reshaping the results, including co-producers Rodaidh McDonald and Patrick Dillett and musicians Daniel Lopatin, Thomas Bartlett, and Joey Waronker. The final product is a sonic crazy quilt that's rich and evocative, by turns ominous and seductive, and the stylistic shape-shifting that dominates these tracks suits the many moods of Byrne's characters very well indeed. In concept, American Utopia bears faint resemblance to the cheerfully odd average Americans who populated Talking Heads' 1986 album True Stories (and Byrne's accompanying feature film), but this album's wit is more pointed, the tone is cooler and less secure, and the cumulative effect less joyous and a bit more puzzled about what awaits us with the next dawn. American Utopia is an album of beautiful and witty surfaces stretched over a sea of troubled waters, and if Byrne is rarely inclined to give direct answers to the questions he asks, it's obvious this isn't a joke, it's an ambitious work from an important American artist. ~ Mark Deming

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he album boasts some of the most exciting music Byrne has made in years....The balance of light and dark is especially compelling on 'Bullet'..."

Spin - "AMERICAN UTOPIA is filled with short and simply written songs, their pensive verses bursting into jubilant choruses on a fairly reliable schedule."

Uncut - "'This is that' is a yearning tribute to the power of music, sung over synthetic chinese zither..."

NME (Magazine) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]n its own abstract way, it confronts the big questions....It's melodic, goofy and very quirky."

Paste (magazine) - "[I]t's a David Byrne album: cerebral, but with an irresistible beat; and exuberant, but in a way that is self-contained. And if America right now is something less than a utopia, Byrne is a force for positivity, exhorting us all to do better."

Pitchfork (Website) - "[W]ith his latest, Byrne does what so few of his peers will: He takes some actual risks."

Clash (Magazine) - "[A] whimsical, weird and totally wonderful set of songs....An inquisitive and hopeful ray of sunshine filled with foot tapping beats and memorable wordplay."

Fishpond works with suppliers all over the world to bring you a huge selection of products, really great prices, and delivery included on over 25 million products that we sell. We do our best every day to make Fishpond an awesome place for customers to shop and get what they want — all at the best prices online.

About Fishpond

You can earn a 8% commission by selling American Utopia on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!

Are you the Author or Publisher of a book? Or the manufacturer of one of the millions of products that we sell. You can improve sales and grow your revenue by submitting additional information on this title. The better the information we have about a product, the more we will sell!

Submit Information