This is an effortlessly elegant exercise in stylish Pop. Some might find it cold, but Byrne’s detached singing style and Eno’s understated and efficient backing tracks give the album character.
It’s a tightrope walk between understatement and repetition, as large swathes of the album are practically indistinguishable. After a few listens, songs blend into each other and it’s the overall feel of the album that is the real winner. Just one massive slab of shimmering, sparkling sound.
Former Talking Heads frontman Byrne describes the duo’s sound as ‘Folk-Electronic-Gospel’. Don’t expect shouts of ecstasy or thundering tales of brimstone and fire. Byrne and Eno’s brand of Gospel falls more into the gently life-affirming vein of soft spoken New England parishes.
Avantgarde composer Eno, a founding member of Roxy Music, and Byrne worked as a duo before, releasing the influential ‘My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts’ in 1981, the first cohesive album based on the use of samples and dance beats. ‘Everything That Happens’ does not push the envelope like its predecessor, but it has Byrne and Eno producing some timeless pop music.
Musically most out there is ‘Wanted For Life’ with its squashed metallic Beats and grinding electric organ. ‘Poor Boy’ is a surprisingly glitchy track held together by scratchy Afro Funk guitar and tight percussion.
‘Life Is Long’ and ‘My Big Nurse’ are the most immediately ‘poppy’ tracks with strong choruses and, in the case of ‘Life’, a snappy brass section.
The remainder of the songs is more drawn out, either in a leisurely, funky way like ‘Strange Overtones’ or in a more somber fashion reminiscent of Icelandic mood merchants Sigur Ros. Indeed, songs like ‘One Fine Day’ and ‘Everything That Happens’, Eno’s music and Byrne’s vocals seem to take on the hymnal overtones of Sigur Ros’ last album.
The hymnal touches could be a hangover from Eno’s production job for Coldpay’s recent album ‘Viva La Vida’. Whatever the reason, Byrne’s dry delivery makes them palatable.
Both Eno and Byrne have experimented with digital distribution of their music for a while. The artists have made ‘Everything That Happens Will Happen Today’ available for free streaming! Just use the player below to listen to the album.
MP3 and FLAC downloads of the album are available immediately. A CD version is due to be shipped in November. You can pre-order the CD with your download for an extra $3.
Stream Byrne And Eno’s New Album For Free!
If you like what you hear and want to download the album, please click on ‘Get The Album’ in the Player window or go straight to the album microsite here.
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