Two quick minutes is all it takes for David Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman, to wade into the Christmas track arena. Did he need to? No. Does he come out the other end unscathed, unharmed by the torture of novelty pop and festive feelings? Sort of. Incredible it is that Byrne has managed to retain not just his sound but an element of orchestral explosiveness, The Fat Man’s Comin’ is a vaguely ominous piece that does well to avoid the pop satisfaction almost entirely. It feels a little similar to the soothing tones of Rei Momo, mixed in with the modernity and switches that Byrne now pulls with American Utopia. Maintaining that consistency keeps Byrne away from falling into a darker state of Christmas crisis.
With that avoidance also comes an acceptance of a track that will never quite become a classic. Byrne crafts the equivalent of a throwaway to raise money for charity, a noble pursuit that offers fans a vaguely fine track that is more a piece to receive something in return for donation than anything else. The Fat Man’s Comin’ has an impressive brass section, that is worth hearing alone. Byrne utilises that in the usual, crooning style he so often utilises now, the elongation of the voice and the simplicity of lyrics turned into strange ruminations as they rush against one another. The Fat Man’s Comin’ certainly benefits from that cohesion of strange ideas and interesting instrumentals.
Much of it does well to dispense strange little bits and pieces over the act of Santa Claus breaking into the homes of billions. It is very twee and tongue in cheek, yet has an overarching orchestral sense to it with layering like no other. Byrne, by his own admission, has “always wanted to write a holiday song.” Whatever reason there is for that is beyond the point now, Byrne has now written and released a Christmas song. It is a checklist moment for a great artist, another stop on the long road to securing a legacy. Whether or not audiences in the future regard The Fat Man’s Comin’ as one of his greatest works is beside the point, all artists at some stage flirt with the idea of a Christmas single, just not all of them make it that far. It appears Byrne has done this, though, for the chance to work with composer Jherek Bischoff.
To Byrne’s credit, that is a great reason to do just about anything. Bischoff’s orchestral composition is a delightful piece of this track, and The Fat Man’s Comin’ is all the better for it. Byrne storyboards his way through a piece that he hopes will be used for good. It is hard to see this little snippet of song being used for much else. This is not a new piece, make no mistake. This track has been knocking around for nearly a decade, but it has never been put to tape until now. That is an interesting turn at least, an offering of respect from Byrne to a song that has served him well for some time. There is an element of fun, of joy, to The Fat Man’s Comin’, and that is the perfect resolute for a Christmas track. Byrne strikes through with a mixture of festive feel and artistic clarity in a delightfully unique holiday song.
