Talking Heads – Remain in Light Review

Every band has their peak. Whether this is it for Talking Heads is contentious at best. Brian Eno is drafted in proper; the band begins to tense and struggle. But in this cloud of anger and frustration – poor choices from those at the heart of it – comes the most recognisable sound David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison released. Remain in Light lingers on. It is careering towards a half-century and still sounds smooth, deeply moved and innovative. That refreshing “Ah,” from Byrne on perfect opener Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) unifies the post-punk terrors of their early days with the samba and funk grooves which would push the band into a hot streak of hits. The heat goes on for the Fear of Music influence, a dystopia running wild.  

Heavy times under the boot bring around an instability – capturing this with keenly honed lyrics, jittery and aggressive but developed with free association and a funk bassline – comes the finest song Talking Heads ever crafted. It moves away from lyrics and into a place where vocal range is an instrument, not a feature. Additional vocals add a much-needed urgency as the heat very much goes on. Remain in Light offers no escape from Talking Heads’ earliest notions. Escaping the rat race is still how they hope to inspire their listeners. Urban living and the isolation of a bustling city are all ripped into by Byrne, whose follow-up Crosseyed and Painless is one of several Talking Heads tracks that sound fulfilled live. All the odder it would be for them to stop touring after Speaking in Tongues. Byrne is at his hypnotic best as he portrays a thankless man in a world he doubts. 

And doubt remains the core of Remain in Light. Friction on The Great Curve burns a guitar solo like no other. The A-side to Remain in Light may be one of the finest achievements in music history. Begin the B-side with Once in a Lifetime, a track which has defined Talking Heads from the first day of its release, and the liveliness of Remain in Light reflects its chilling fear of optimal space and static living. Reject it, your house must be in motion. Houses in Motion notes this clearly, but the open-mindedness and spoken word segments with a funk groove underlining them are a terrific addition.

Maturing is realising The Overload and all its sinister electronics is a world-beating album-ender. Its whining instrumentals are a time for Harrison and Weymouth to shine. Byrne takes a backseat and gives way to stern rhythm from Frantz and the new wave influences of Eno burst through. Remain in Light is as complete as it gets for Talking Heads and though they never fully returned to this sound, their lack of desperation for this new high is a remarkable state. Four years and just as many albums provide Talking Heads with the momentum needed to halt themselves and catch their breath. They do so, and their commercial highs and legacy-cementing Stop Making Sense would soon follow. It was this break which cultivated the massive shift that was their latter four records and the shift away from individual oppression in systems of shame to the overarching part we all play in shaping the world. Remain in Light is hopeful yet brutal.