The infamous band from the ‘80s, Talking Heads, has been in the spotlight recently with the rerelease of the “Stop Making Sense” A24 concert film. The concert film was originally released in 1984 by Jonathan Demme. The film documents four nights of the band’s tour promoting their album “Speaking in Tongues.” It has brought in many new fans from younger generations to appreciate the unique sound of the band.
Before diving into a new announcement relating to the concert film, let’s give some backstory of the Talking Heads. They formed in the mid-70s and were at their peak in the early to mid-80s. Their music at the time was nothing like anything other artists were releasing. Their style can be described as strange and exotic to some, but to others, it transported them into a different time and marked the start of a sound that blended punk rock, new wave and world music. The lead singer, David Byrne, was known for wearing a very oversized suit, which he wore during the Talking Heads 1983 tour and the 1984 “Stop Making Sense” concert film. He can be seen moving in strange and uncomfortable ways, with his infamous gawky dancing. People have speculated that Byrne developed a different persona the second he stepped on stage with the rest of the band.
A few weeks ago, the production company, A24, announced a Talking Heads tribute album titled, “Stop Making Sense.” The album includes 16 tracks from 16 artists, which will be renditions of the original LP. The artists featured on the album are Paramore, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Girl in Red, The National, Teezo Touchdown, Kevin Abstract, Badbadnotgood, Toro Y Moi, Blondshell, DJ Tunez, Jean Dawson, Chicano Batman, The Linda Lindas, El Mato and The Cavemen.
Since the announcement, Paramore has released the first single from the album, “Burning Down the House,” a song even nonfans have heard of. Their rendition of the song has kept people’s hopes up for the rest of the album with the strong vocals from Paramore’s lead singer, Hayley Williams.
Miley Cyrus has recently performed covers of very popular songs, such as “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin and “Zombie” by the Cranberries. With her strong vocals able to accomplish such powerful songs, it can be predicted she’ll either cover “Psycho Killer,” possibly one of Talking Heads’ most infamous songs, or “Heaven,” a very melancholy but deep song Cyrus would certainly do justice to.
Lorde’s 2017 album “Melodrama” is one of the most influential albums for many newer artists. The album includes enchanting tracks like “Green Light” and “Writer In The Dark.” Lorde’s voice perfectly encapsulates the exotic sound of Talking Heads.
On the A24 Instagram, they don’t clearly state a release date for the tribute album, only “coming soon.” The album is sure to make an impact on the music industry, hopefully paying tribute to one of the greatest bands in the history of music.
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