Talking Heads Fear Of Music CD

this disc represents the bridge between talking heads' first two herky-jerkier albums and the next two funky ones. fear of music is more than just a bridge, though. it's the water under the bridge, the air, the animals, the cities the river flows through, and the heaven on top of it all: "..a place where nothing ever happens." plenty happens here, however. the cd starts out with its feet off the ground and both arms in the air: "i zimbra" is all-out celebration. the rest of the songs are pretty much exercises in simplicity: one-word titles with music to match. (witness the lightness of "air," the trippiness of "drugs," the "ooga"-ness of "animals.") david byrne's artful naiveté ("hold the paper up to the light/some rays pass right through"), coupled with the whole band's musical playfulness (for example, the tuba on "electric guitar"), makes for fun fun fun. --dan leone.