Remain in Light

The first three tracks are primarily dance tracks, but each one is subtly constructed and multi-layered. `Born Under Punches' combines repetition, African rhythm and a variety of eclectic instruments Tom Waits would be proud of. The end result is a dance track with a political slant: "Take a look at these hands... I'm a tumbler/ I'm a government man... I'm so thin... all I want is to breathe." `Crosseyed and Painless' is another dance track, however the weakest of the three. `The Great Curve' is perhaps one of the Heads' best work - it is an exemplary piece of music that showcases the great song-writing and compositional aptitude of the band's frontman, David Byrne. The Great Curve is a haunting, melodic and multi-layered work that stays with the listener for a long time - but, if you like, you can get up and dance to it because it's got one hell of a rhythm pounding through it.

The next five songs are exceptional, however the focus shifts from dance to more of an art-rock. `Houses in Motion' is brilliant, `Seen and Not Seen' is a spoken conversation piece and `Once in a Lifetime' was the big hit from the album, and has a very catchy and musical chorus. `Listening Wind' revisits the African elements of the album and is quite a haunting piece of music, and finally, the album anti-climaxes with the Eno-Byrne collaboration `The Overload', which fails to live up to it's initial horrific promise.

But altogether Remain in Light rivals Speaking in Tongues for the Talking Heads' best album. It exemplifies their artistic and musical ability that started to mature with the advent of the captivating Fear of Music, yet still retains the pulsating rhythm of More Songs About Buildings and Food and Talking Heads '77. Remain in Light is a unique listening experience - one that you can dance to and listen to all the same - and is a worthy addition to anyone's music library.


You want polyrhythms? You got polyrhythms!   May 6, 2004
D. Knouse (vancouver, washington United States)
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

polyrhythm(n): the simultaneous combination of contrasting rhythms in a musical composition

polyrhythmic(adj): 1: having many rhythms 2: having two or more rhythms proceeding simultaneously in different musical parts

Keep those definitions in mind when listening to this masterpiece from one of the most interesting bands I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. From the galloping multi-rhythmic opening song, "Born Under Punches(The Heat Goes On)," it becomes glaringly obvious that this is very original music. After pushing the Polyrhythmic Threshold with their previous albums, with varied success, Talking Heads shatter all their previous efforts with this epic and wholly amazing album. Along with their concert DVD, "Stop Making Sense," owning this album is absolutely essential to reach a full appreciation of this remarkable band. Both are exceptional experiences. My favorites from this CD are the faster tracks but the last two songs close the album with a somber, ethereal tone. The song "Listening Wind" is haunting, while "The Overload" is like walking around in a daze amid the ruins of some cataclysmic event. For the beginning fan I would suggest buying the DVD "Stop Making Sense" first, but soon after you should purchase this excellent album in a state of euphoria. I wish more bands would embrace polyrhythms and incorporate them in their songwriting. The songs on this album are crammed with them. Thank you.


Funky, danceable, brilliant.   September 5, 2003
Shotgun Method (NY... No, not *that* NY)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

The Talking Heads, members of 1977's CBGB scene, certainly carved a unique niche in the music world. While the Ramones were pounding out 3-chord witty anthems and Television and Richard Hell were making literate punk rock, the Talking Heads were pioneering their own blend of dancy art-rock. While every album from Talking Heads '77 to Speaking In Tongues is classic material, if I was forced to choose their best album I'd have to side with Remain In Light. Although some gripe over Brian Eno's increased role in the band (some have said that he is the "fifth member") there is no denying that under his auspices as producer, David Byrne (vocals), Tina Weymouth (bass), Chris Frantz (drums) and Adrian Belew (guitar, later of King Crimson) released their best material.

Released in 1980, Remain In Light is often considered one of the seminal "New Wave" recordings, but it isn't really. The Talking Heads couldn't be compared to tripe like The Human League or Culture Club. Their music was diverse, intelligent, fluid, weird, and shake-your-hips-FUNKY.

The first half of Remain In Light is highly eccentric and upbeat dance music, sounding like some odd mutation of punk, African bush music, and funk. Wild polyrhythms abound, Byrne's vocals are quirky and neat bits of beat poetry ("I'm not a drowning man/I'm a tumbler!") and brilliantly inventive guitarist Belew unleashes sounds more remiscient of wild animals and electronic effects than the buzzsaw blast of punk. The second half, beginning with mainstream hit Once In A Lifetime (propelled by that timeless music video on MTV) progressively slows down the blistering pace with more moody and introspective pieces, ending with the dark dirge of The Overload (written by Eno, and very unlike the rest of the record). Overall, there's not a note wasted here.

Remain In Light is a truly great album--if you've heard the brilliant Once In A Lifetime already, that should be incentive enough to own this record. Right? Check out previous albums Talking Heads '77, More Songs About Buildings And Food, Fear Of Music, and the commercial followup Speaking In Tongues as well.


Long Day's Journey Into Light   May 14, 2001
William M. Begert (New York, NY USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Unquestionably the supreme art achievement of the Heads' oeuvre (and perhaps of New Wave music in general), Remain In Light continues to hypnotize, seduce and delight twenty years since its original release. As other reviewers have noted, the album begins with three exciting, danceable, heavily-layered synth tunes that flow into one another like some fast moving, bubbling river, carrying the listener swiftly down their rapids for the first twenty minutes. But the challenge of Remain In Light came when you flipped the LP or cassette over and played Side 2, because then you experienced the sea change away from the fun, funky mental space Side 1 had created. (In some ways, the passing of the vinyl age has obscured the clever symmetry of this work.) Side 2's first piece, Once in a Lifetime, was the hinge. The song melodically and rhythmically echoes the three on Side 1, but with a quiet darker side that is unmasked when Byrne, describing the existential awakening of his protagonist, cries out: "My God! What have I done!" From there, remaining in light becomes increasingly impossible as the music creeps ever more slowly into a dark and moody landscape of despair and pain. Yes, the Overload is a monotonous dirge. But guess what? As the last tune on the album, that's just exactly where the Heads wanted to take you. You just didn't guess that the title of the album was a CHALLENGE. I admit that, more times than I can count, I have put on this CD and turned it off before I got through Track 5. But if you make it all the way to the end, aside from the stunned silence, there is an enormous sense of accomplishment. Come away from this album unchanged, and you're probably not listening. And for those who are afraid of the dark, at least they gave you a blast of great dance music before you got there, right? Face it: getting depressed was never such a good trip.


The Best Album of the 1980s and One of the Best Ever.   December 31, 2000
Alan Koslowski (Seattle, WA)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

During the early 1980s, Talking Heads were among several artists who incorporated "World Music" elements into a pop context. Though this lead to some interesting music, few artists were able to synthesize these elements with complete success. Of all these artists, Talking Heads most fully realized their ambitions and this album stands out as their artistic peak.

Remain in Light is African poly-rhythms (and other World Music elements), exotic instrumentation, electronic sounds, applied to clever, highly literate songs. All of these complex elements are synthesized seamlessly by producer Brian Eno. While this album is nominally a Talking Heads record, David Byrne and Brian Eno deserve all the creative credit. The songs were written primarily by Byrne and Eno (who contributes musically to every track), with the other Talking Heads serving to accompany the other studio musicians.

A few other reviewers have remarked that this album sounds like mush, with elements thrown together without haphazardly. Nothing could be further from the truth. The World Music elements, pop elements, and studio effects are used judiciously to create music the feels effortless. It obviously isn't entirely spontaneous because there are so many exquisite sonic details and each song is precisely crafted. Every time you listen to Remain In Light, you will notice something you haven't heard before.

What makes Remain In Light even more remarkable is how endlessly listenable it is. The song structures are atypical of most popular music and Byrne writes some bizarre, esoteric lyrics. But Byrne sings with a quirky, often subtly humorous (that often isn't recognized) irony that makes the songs palatable. The songs are highly literate and impenetrable, yet infectious at the same time. Usually a song like, "Once in a Lifetime", which features deliberately esoteric lyrics and some unusual sound effects, would never have a chance of becoming a hit. But, thanks to a Eno's memorable melodies and Byrne's ironic delivery, it did. Not every song on Remain In Light is as infectious as "Once in Lifetime", but the whole album is focused and rivetting. The songs merge flawlessly and the chilling drone of, "The Overload" is an unforgettable conclusion.

What distinguishes the Talking Heads from other artists who dabbled in World Music was how well they are able to assimilate these ingredients into their own musical stew. Often when other artists (Peter Gabriel, Sting) use World Music elements, it seems artificial, and unfinished. On Remain In Light, Talking Heads created a fully synthesized amalgamation of diverse, sophisticated musical components that feels entirely natural, without bastardizing their source material (or their own artistic vision). The result is the best album from a band responsible for some of the greatest music released during the late 1970s and 1980s, and certainly one of the greatest records of any time in the history of music.

Note: Fans of this album should also listen to, "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts", by Byrne and Eno. It serves as an instrumental counterpart to this album. It isn't as good as Remain In Light (mostly because there are no real songs, just instrumental pieces that often aren't memorable), but it's definitely worth listening to.