MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD

The band pushed the formula of the debut into a direction that pleases me much more. The vibe is still funky and up-beat but somehow the nervous tension works better then the debut. The music can hardly be called threatening of course, but still there's something brooding under the surface that makes it so much more appealing.

The songwriting consists of witty art funk punk pop songs with lots (I mean LOTS) of vocals. The two following TH albums would bring the music more to the fore but here it's clearly about lyrics, lyrics and lyrics. Sometimes I'd wish Byrne had keep his wordflow a bit better under control. Of course, you have to take the trouble investigating the lyrics to be able to find the deeper meaning of it all, but for a lazy listener with complete lyrics-disinterest like me, some of the quality of this album clearly eludes me.

Still, even when ignoring the words, and even if I miss the entrancing grooves they developed on the two following albums, this collection of songs is simply great. It's a fresh and enjoyable feel-good album where the artsy Roxy-Eno-Bowie rock is coupled to a dot of punk and an infectious Carribean coctail-party atmosphere. A nice listen to balance all the Enslaved listening of the last few weeks! 3.5 stars