David Byrne has offered another glimpse into the wild natures of his upcoming record, Who is the Sky?, with “The Avant Garde” — a song that peers into the reality of art which is created for its own sake. Is art that is made solely to be seen as art devoid of value, or is there some intrinsic value in the act of creation regardless of its intentions? Dialing into some neo-Talking Heads leftfield pop, he looks for the answers, or maybe he’s just taking the piss — or maybe the absurdity of creation doesn’t require explanation. So just sit back and enjoy David Byrne being David Byrne for a few minutes. You won’t regret it.
“Some people will hear this and say, “David is calling bullshit on his friends” but it’s more nuanced than that,” he explains. “Anyone who knows me knows that I go to plenty of shows that might be classified as avant-garde or experimental. Edgy and untraditional work is hugely inspiring to me, as it often changes the way I think and influences what I do (without me simply appropriating the ideas, I hope). That said, trying something unproven and radically new is risky. Sometimes, as with anything risky, it doesn’t quite hit the bullseye. There’s no guarantee that it will achieve what it aims to do, but when it does, the emotional and intellectual rewards are worth it. That is the risk one takes while making something new and unconventional. So yes, there are times when it doesn’t mean shit, but often there are times when something wholly original comes into being and it’s all worth it. I love that the Ghost Train folks and Kid Harpoon took what could have been a fairly conventional song I’d written (musically at least), and steered it into something that to me sounds like Led Zeppelin meets Dirty Projectors.”
Listen to the song below.
Who is the Sky? is due out September 5 on Matador Records. You can pre-order the album here. Follow David Byrne on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
