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Mar 12, 2018American Utopia, despite the chance at becoming a politically-charged vent towards particular injustices, instead aspires to give hope rather than add onto the dumpster fire of negativity; or so to say, Byrne sits us down and gives us reasons to be cheeful.
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Entertainment WeeklyMar 12, 2018His new American Utopia feels very much like the sum of Byrne's essential Heads DNA and everything that's passed since then. [16/23 Mar 2018, p.107]
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The WireJul 12, 2018This is Byrne at his best, as he calmly describes the impact of the object upon the victim’s history, feelings and anatomy that are being destroyed as a result of its violent intrusion. [May 2018, p.60]
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Mar 15, 2018American Utopia is epic, it’s sprawling, it’s filled with everything but the kitchen sink, but most of all, it’s filled with promise.
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Mar 8, 2018For all Byrne’s other endeavours, music is the forum where his quirky, zany, challenging ideas achieve emotionally satisfying expression. American Utopia is another glittering offering from an old master.
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Mar 6, 2018An album this strong, delivered this late into an artist’s career, would usually be given an ugly tag like “return to form” or something equally crass. However, in Byrne’s case, it’s simply a continuation of what has been--and will hopefully continue to be--a glittering career full of highlights and continuations of form.
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Mar 5, 2018It’s a David Byrne album. Which is to say: it’s melodic, goofy and very quirky.
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MojoMar 1, 2018Byrne filters grace, wonder and apocalyptic portent through his fractured worldview. [Apr 2018, p.95]
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Q MagazineMar 1, 2018His creative fires still showing no signs of dimming, David Byrne remains as playful and brilliant as ever. [Apr 2018, p.114]
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Mar 1, 2018A well-timed treat delivered by one of music's most beloved eccentrics. Go explore.
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Mar 9, 2018In other words, it’s a David Byrne album: cerebral, but with an irresistible beat; and exuberant, but in a way that is self-contained. And if America right now is something less than a utopia, Byrne is a force for positivity, exhorting us all to do better.
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Oct 5, 2018While not expressly political, American Utopia can't help playing as a reaction piece.
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Mar 9, 2018It’s a worthy effort from a living legend, full of songs that are at least interesting and at times breathtaking.
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Mar 8, 2018The music is a hodgepodge of styles, techniques, and voices, but there’s a steady hand holding the needle, guided by a singular and seasoned vision--the curiosity and the enthusiasm that have long been his trademarks.
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MixmagJul 6, 2018Occasionally it's awkward, but for the most part it shows there's still plenty of life in the old Head yet. [Apr 2018, p.91]
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Mar 30, 2018At times, particularly during the more meditative middle stretch, the album can be easier to admire than to love. ... But when Byrne’s themes and his compositions cohere, the results are wonderful to behold.
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Mar 12, 2018American Utopia is an album of beautiful and witty surfaces stretched over a sea of troubled waters, and if Byrne is rarely inclined to give direct answers to the questions he asks, it's obvious this isn't a joke, it's an ambitious work from an important American artist.
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Mar 9, 2018Byrne delivers some impressively wicked guitar outbursts, too. But the frantic segments generally recede too soon, supplanted by more less-anxious downtempo bits.
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Mar 8, 2018Utopia contains several solid entries into Byrne’s pop songwriting canon, but few revelations. Whimsical and surprisingly optimistic, it finds him following several different impulses at once.
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UncutMar 1, 2018Left to his own devices, Byrne comes home to a screwball hymnal mode that, for all the lyrical left turns, can feel a little too predictable. [Apr 2018, p.29]
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Mar 12, 2018While American Utopia has its missteps it is, on the whole, a joyous record that only Byrne could make. American Utopia is an album that is inquisitive not just about the world of today but of music’s power to transport and uplift us.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 21 out of 35
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Mixed: 7 out of 35
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Negative: 7 out of 35
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Mar 13, 2018
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Mar 11, 2018
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Mar 10, 2018David Byrne ought to be embarrassed by this album. I've been a fan for years, but perhaps it's time for him to retire.