American Utopia

American Utopia is the tenth studio album by British-American rock musician David Byrne, released on March 9, 2018 through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. The release is his first true solo studio album since 2004's Grown Backwards, and serves as a musical component of a larger multimedia project titled Reasons to Be Cheerful, which attempts to spread positivity. Byrne announced the album and posted its lead single, "Everybody's Coming to My House", online on January 8, 2018.[1] The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.[2]

For the film, see American Utopia (film).

American Utopia
Studio album by
David Byrne
ReleasedMarch 9, 2018 (2018-03-09)
Studio
Genre
Length37:17
Label
Producer
David Byrne chronology
Brass Tactics
(2014)		 American Utopia
(2018)

Recording and release

The album is part of a larger multimedia project titled Reasons to Be Cheerful which aims to give reasons for being happy and optimistic in spite of political strife and environmental problems.[1] The title is derived from the Ian Dury song "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3".[3]

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.0/10[4]
Metacritic72/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The A.V. ClubB[7]
The Daily Telegraph[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[9]
The Guardian[10]
Mojo[11]
NME[12]
Pitchfork5.8/10[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]

American Utopia received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 72 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5] The Arts Desk's Howard Male gave the album a positive review calling it a "a muscular and quirky return to form".[16] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the album a B, calling the album an uneven "mixed bag" but praising the album's themes.[7]

Commercial reception

American Utopia became Byrne's first solo top 10 album on the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 3 with the equivalent of 63,000 copies sold in the United States.[17]

Adaptations
See also: American Utopia (film)

The release of the album was backed by a world tour that lasted from March to November 2018. The elaborate concert included an empty stage surrounded by metal chains and a cast of twelve musicians (including Byrne himself) wearing identical gray suits. Cutting-edge technology in audio and lighting was used to totally untether the musicians from any cables, allowing free movement and complex choreography like in Byrne's previous tours. In addition to songs from American Utopia, the setlist incorporated material from Byrne's solo catalogue, several hits by Talking Heads and a cover of Janelle Monáe's "Hell You Talmbout".

In September 2019, an altered version of the concert was previewed at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. It now featured small changes to the setlist and to the structure to achieve a format closer to that of a musical stage production. It premiered on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre in previews on October 4, 2019 and officially on October 20, closing on February 16, 2020.[18] It was set to return to the Hudson for another limited engagement in September 2020, but this was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A new four-month run is scheduled to start on September 17, 2021.

A documentary/concert film version of the Broadway play was directed by Spike Lee and released in late 2020,[19] debuting on HBO.[20] A cast recording of the production titled American Utopia on Broadway was released in 2019 and received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album nomination.[21]

Track listing

All songs written by David Byrne and Brian Eno, except where noted.

  1. "I Dance Like This" – 3:33
  2. "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" – 3:19
  3. "Every Day Is a Miracle" – 4:46
  4. "Dog's Mind" – 2:29
  5. "This Is That" (Byrne, Daniel Lopatin) – 4:31
  6. "It's Not Dark Up Here" – 4:10
  7. "Bullet" – 3:09
  8. "Doing the Right Thing" – 3:38
  9. "Everybody's Coming to My House" – 3:29
  10. "Here" (Byrne, Lopatin) – 4:13

Personnel
Doveman (pictured in 2018) is one of several musical guests on American Utopia
The American Utopia Tour featured elaborate choreography, a variety of instruments, and matching gray suits for the personnel
American Utopia continues the collaboration between Byrne and British electronic musician Brian Eno (pictured in 2017) that stretches back to the late 1970s

Personnel according to David Byrne's homepage.[22]

  • David Byrne – vocals; guitar on "I Dance Like This", "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Every Day Is a Miracle", "It's Not Dark Up Here", "Bullet", "Doing the Right Thing", "Everybody's Coming to My House", and "Here"; keyboards on "I Dance Like This", "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Bullet", and "Everybody's Coming to My House"; pads on "Everybody's Coming to My House"; production
  • Airhead – drums on "Bullet"
  • Ben Anderson – cymbal on "Every Day Is a Miracle"
  • Isaiah Barr – saxophone on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) – Mellotron on "I Dance Like This" "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Bullet", and "Everybody's Coming to My House"; piano on "I Dance Like This"
  • Jamie Edwards – sitar samples on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets"
  • Brian Eno – drum programming, vocoder, background vocals and "prog ride tracks" on "I Dance Like This"; keyboards on "It's Not Dark Up Here" and "Doing the Right Thing"; percussion on "It's Not Dark Up Here" and "Everybody's Coming to My House"; voice effects, whistling, celeste, and brass on "It's Not Dark Up Here"; drums on "Doing the Right Thing"; "robot rhythm guitar" on "Everybody's Coming to My House"; original tracks
  • Alex Epton – drum programming on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "It's Not Dark Up Here", and "Doing the Right Thing"; choir programming on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", synthesizer stabs on "Every Day Is a Miracle", bass guitar on "Bullet", cymbals on "Doing the Right Thing"; shaker on "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Ethan P. Flynn – "middle 8 section synthesizer" on "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Happa – drum programming on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "Everybody's Coming to My House", electronics and drums on "Every Day Is a Miracle", synthesizer solo on "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Jam City – synth stabs, guitar, and drums on "Every Day Is a Miracle"
  • Nathan Jenkins – harmonica solo and voices on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets"
  • Koreless – drums on "Every Day Is a Miracle"
  • Daniel Lopatin – keyboards on "Dog's Mind", "This Is That", "Doing the Right Thing", and "Here", drums on "Dog's Mind", "This Is That", and "Here", synthesizers and bass on "Dog's Mind", processing and textures on "Doing the Right Thing" and "Everybody's Coming to My House"; strings on "Doing the Right Thing"
  • Rodaidh McDonald – arrangements on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Every Day Is a Miracle", "Dog's Mind", "This Is That", and "Here"; additional keyboards on "I Dance Like This", "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Every Day Is a Miracle", "It's Not Dark Up Here", "Doing the Right Thing", "Everybody's Coming to My House"; drum programming on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Every Day Is a Miracle", "Dog's Mind", "This Is That", "It's Not Dark Up Here", "Bullet" "Doing the Right Thing", and "Everybody's Coming to My House"; "verse percussion" on "I Dance Like This", bells on "It's Not Dark Up Here", strings on "Bullet"; production
  • MMPH – main orchestral arrangement and sounds on "Doing the Right Thing"
  • Magnus Bang Olsen – piano on "Every Day Is a Miracle"
  • Jack Peñate – keyboards on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets", "Every Day Is a Miracle", and "Bullet"; backing vocals on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "Bullet"; textures on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets"; drums, bass and shaker on "Every Day Is a Miracle"
  • Ariel Rechtshaid – flexatone on "It's Not Dark Up Here"
  • Ben Reed – live bass on "Every Day Is a Miracle" and "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Mauro Refosco – percussion on "It's Not Dark Up Here", "Bullet", "Doing the Right Thing", and "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Sampha – piano on "Everybody's Coming to My House"
  • Jaakko Savolainen – guitar, bass guitar, and synthesizer on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets"; keyboards on "Every Day Is a Miracle"
  • Joey Waronker – tom and snare on "I Dance Like This"
  • Joe Williams – harp on "This Is That"
  • Brian Wolfe – drums on "Doing the Right Thing"

Technical personnel

  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Matt Cohn – recording engineering
  • Pat Dillett – production
  • Alex Epton – recording engineering
  • Tuck Nelson – mixing engineering
  • Marta Salogni – mixing engineering
  • Gabriel Schuman – additional engineering on "This Is That"
  • Jack Sugden – mixing engineering
  • David Wrench – mixing and additional programming
  • Purvis Young – cover art

Charts

References
  1. Adams, Erik (January 8, 2018). "David Byrne's first solo album in 14 years is coming this March". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  2. "David Byrne's AMERICAN UTOPIA Nominated For Best Alternative Album Grammy Award". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. "David Byrne's New Album, American Utopia, Due March 9 on Todomundo / Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch Records. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  4. "American Utopia by David Byrne reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  5. "American Utopia by David Byrne Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  6. Deming, Mark. "American Utopia – David Byrne". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  7. Adams, Erik (March 8, 2018). "David Byrne can be your guide to an uneven American Utopia". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  8. McCormick, Neil (March 8, 2018). "David Byrne's American Utopia is another glittering offering from an old master – review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  9. Greenblatt, Leah (March 16, 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia". Entertainment Weekly: 107.
  10. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (March 9, 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia review – anxiety dreams from centrist dad". The Guardian. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  11. Segal, Victoria (April 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia". Mojo (293): 95.
  12. Cochrane, Greg (March 5, 2018). "David Byrne – 'American Utopia' Review". NME. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  13. Rytlewski, Evan (March 12, 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  14. Doyle, Tom (April 2018). "Dream Team". Q (383): 114.
  15. Hermes, Will (March 9, 2018). "Review: David Byrne Throws a Weird Party in His Mind on 'American Utopia'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  16. Male, Howard (March 3, 2018). "CD: David Byrne – American Utopia". The Arts Desk. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  17. Caulfield, Keith (March 18, 2018). "David Byrne Achieves First Top 10 Album on Billboard 200 Chart with American Utopia". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  18. "David Byrne's American Utopia Gets Monthlong Extension on Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  19. Krep, Daniel (February 1, 2020). "Spike Lee to Direct Film Version of David Byrne's American Utopia Broadway Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  20. Hayes, Britt (June 17, 2020). "HBO Will Premiere David Byrne's American Utopia, Filmed by Spike Lee". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  21. "Jagged Little Pill, American Utopia, Soft Power & More Earn Grammy Nominations". Broadway.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  22. "Credits (and Lyrics) to American Utopia". David Byrne. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
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