1.
David Byrne and St. Vincent have worked together on a few individual songs, but finally a release date has been set for the full collaborative album which the pair have been working on since 2009. The two artists were originally approached by Housing Works with the aim of performing a concert for charity, but after a lot of back and forth the eventual result is the album Love This Giant, which will be released by 4AD on September 11th. “Who” is our first taste of the record, and it’s a funky number with yelps, horns and just a touch of Annie Clarke spiky guitar work. Read a few words from Annie Clarke and David Byrne, and download “Who” below.
David Byrne:
Annie suggested we use a brass band rather than the typical rock ensemble—which would brilliantly solve the sound problems inherent in performing in a small joint like Housing Works. A brass band wouldn’t need mixing and could be heard acoustically in a room that size. They’d balance themselves. Easy. We’d only need vocal mics.
A lot of people, hearing a description of this project, assumed that it might be an artsy indulgence, but somehow it didn’t turn out that way. It’s a pop record—well, in my book anyway. I started to sense that we were ending up with a sound and approach I’d never heard before. There were elements that were reminiscent of things I’d heard, but a lot of it was completely new. Very exciting!
Annie Clarke:
It’s an honest-to-god, straight-down-the-middle thing. He wrote music, I wrote music; he wrote words, I wrote words. He sings half the songs, I wrote half the songs. I’ve never been that closely entwined in the songwriting, arranging, singing, and lyric-writing process with anyone.
David Byrne & St. Vincent – “Who”
The duo will also be touring with the album…
David Byrne / St. Vincent 2012 Tour Dates
09/15 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theater
09/16 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
09/18 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
09/20 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/21 – Montreal, QC – POP Montreal
09/23 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
09/25 – New York, NY – Beacon Theater
09/26 – New York, NY – Beacon Theater
09/27 – Philadelphia, PA – Tower Theater
09/29 – Brooklyn, NY – Williamsburg Park
09/30 – N. Bethesda MD – The Music Center at Strathmore
10/02 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/03 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Center
10/05 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
10/06 – Houston, TX – Hobby Center
10/07 – Dallas, TX – McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
10/10 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s
10/11 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre
10/12 – Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrom Theater for the Arts
10/13 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theater
10/15 – San Francisco, CA – Orpheum Theatre
10/17 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
10/18 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium
10/20 – Vancouver, BC – Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts
