Love This Giant

( 1 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Heather Phares
It's not surprising that David Byrne and St. Vincent's Annie Clark were drawn to work together. While they're hardly sound-alikes, they are both keen but somewhat detached observers of the human condition who make music that's equally cerebral and passionate. However, it is somewhat surprising to learn that they created their collaboration Love This Giant largely online, meeting in the studio together with their team of musicians and producers a handful of times during the album's three-year gestation period, because they're on such a harmonious wavelength throughout it. Though the album's brass-driven sound suggests Byrne's post-Talking Heads work more than St. ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Heather Phares
It's not surprising that David Byrne and St. Vincent's Annie Clark were drawn to work together. While they're hardly sound-alikes, they are both keen but somewhat detached observers of the human condition who make music that's equally cerebral and passionate. However, it is somewhat surprising to learn that they created their collaboration Love This Giant largely online, meeting in the studio together with their team of musicians and producers a handful of times during the album's three-year gestation period, because they're on such a harmonious wavelength throughout it. Though the album's brass-driven sound suggests Byrne's post-Talking Heads work more than St. Vincent's guitar acrobatics (Clark fans may be disappointed that her playing is relegated to the sidelines here, albeit artfully so), it was actually Clark's idea to write these songs for a brass band when the project began as a handful of songs the duo was going to perform in a bookstore. At any rate, trying to dissect the collaboration's inner workings is beside the point when the whole is this dazzlingly creative. While Love This Giant might not be a true concept album, Byrne and Clark explore the themes of individuality, community, love, and death with a thoroughness and cohesiveness that suggests otherwise, and together they push each other into creative spaces they might not have explored on their own. Clark takes a funky turn on "Weekend in the Dust," where her singing mirrors the angular brass stabs behind her as beats whirr and tick like wind-up toys, and delivers some of her most vulnerable vocals on the expansive "Optimist," one of the most unabashed love songs to New York's potential since "Empire State of Mind." However, it's Byrne who sounds most revitalized by all the creativity flowing through Love This Giant, whether on the jaunty album opener "Who," the whimsical character study "I Am an Ape," or the celebratory "The One Who Broke Your Heart," which drafts the Dap-Kings and Antibalas to help him and Clark dance on their troubles. The album peaks with back-to-back highlights from the duo: "The Forest Awakes" lets Clark unleash her formidable fretwork over a relentlessly marching beat and strings and woodwinds, suggesting a particularly audacious St. Vincent track, while "I Should Watch TV" sets classic Byrne observations ("How are you?"/"Not like me") to alternately jarring and jubilant brass. For all the braininess and wildness on display, there's also a sweetness to the album, particularly on "Outside of Space and Time," which sings the praises of physics-defying devotion. Given all the things Byrne and Clark pack into Love This Giant, it's a remarkably catchy and concise set of songs featuring some of the most vibrant work that either one of them has produced.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/11/2012
  • Label: 4ad / Ada
  • UPC: 652637323122
  • Catalog Number: 73231
  • Sales rank: 3,403

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Who - St. Vincent (3:49)
  2. 2 Weekend In The Dust - St. Vincent (3:07)
  3. 3 Dinner For Two - St. Vincent (3:42)
  4. 4 Ice Age - St. Vincent (3:13)
  5. 5 I Am An Ape - St. Vincent (3:05)
  6. 6 The Forest Awakes - St. Vincent (4:52)
  7. 7 I Should Watch T.V. - St. Vincent (3:08)
  8. 8 Lazarus - St. Vincent (3:13)
  9. 9 Optimist - St. Vincent (3:49)
  10. 10 Lightning - St. Vincent (4:15)
  11. 11 The One Who Broke Your Heart - The Dap-Kings (3:46)
  12. 12 Outside Of Space & Time - St. Vincent (4:18)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
David Byrne Primary Artist, Guitar, Vocals, Omnichord
Bob Stewart Tuba
Alex Foster Saxophone
Randy Andos Tuba
Jack Bashkow Clarinet, Saxophone
Ron Blake Saxophone
Steve Elson Clarinet, Saxophone
Paul Frazier Bass
Earl Gardner Trumpet
David Guy Trumpet
Stan Harrison Saxophone
Ozzie Melendez Trombone
Lenny Pickett Saxophone
Marcus Rojas Tuba
Tom Timko Clarinet, Saxophone
Steve Turre Trombone
William Lang Trombone
Chris Komer French Horn
R.J. Kelley French Horn
Dominic Derasse Trumpet
Cochemea Gastelum Saxophone
Mauro Refosco Percussion
Kenneth Finn Trombone, Euphonium
Bob Magnuson Saxophone
Stuart Bogie Saxophone
Jonathan Powell Trumpet
Ravi Best Trumpet
Kelly Pratt Trumpet
Ian Hendrickson-Smith Saxophone
Tom Hutchinson Euphonium
Jordan McLean Trumpet
Martin Perna Saxophone
Rachel Drehmann French Horn
Patrick Milando French Horn
Ryan Keberle Trombone
Annie Clark Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Synthesizer Bass
Gareth Flowers Trumpet
Kyle Turner Tuba
Lawrence DiBello French Horn
Evan Smith Clarinet
Mike Seltzer Trombone
Josh Frank Trumpet
Mike Gurfield Trumpet
Jacquelyn Adams French Horn
Anthony LaMarca Drums
Aaron Johnson Trombone
Michael Williams Trombone
Jeff Caswell Trombone
Eric Davis French Horn
Brian Mahany Trombone
Technical Credits
David Byrne Composer, Producer, Percussion Programming
Greg Calbi Mastering
Patrick Dillett Producer, Engineer
Lenny Pickett Brass Arrangment
Jon Altschuler Engineer
Richard J. Burbridge Cover Photo
Tony Finno Arranger, Brass Arrangment
Steve Powers Cover Typeset
John Congleton Producer, Engineer, drum programming
Kelly Pratt Brass Arrangment
Phil Laslett Type Design, Back Cover
Noah Wall Artwork
Annie Clark Composer, Producer
Walt Whitman Composer
Yuki Takahashi Engineer
LeeAnn Rossi Artwork
Ken Thompson Arranger
Juan Marin Artwork
Catalina Kulczar Artwork
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 1 )
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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Posted November 21, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    great CD- crappy packaging...

    Excellent music- very creative and catchy! I love the classic David Byrne delivery of lyrics as well as the new brass sound! Packaging makes it look like a demo- loose sheets of paper in a plastic bag with no liner notes makes me sad.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review