American Utopia

American Utopia is the eighth studio album by Scottish-American rock musician David Byrne, released on March 9, 2018 through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. The release is his first 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]

For the film, see American Utopia (film).

American Utopia
A crude painting outlining a human body overlooking skyscrapers
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".[2]

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.0/10[3]
Metacritic72/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubB[6]
The Daily Telegraph[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
The Guardian[9]
Mojo[10]
NME[11]
Pitchfork5.8/10[12]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]

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".[4] The Arts Desk's Howard Male gave the album a positive review calling it a "a muscular and quirky return to form".[15] 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.[6]

Commercial reception

American Utopia became Byrne's first top 10 album on the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 3 with the equivalent of 63,000 copies sold in the United States.[16]

Tour

The release of the album was backed by the American Utopia Tour, that lasted from March to November 2018. The elaborate concert featured an empty stage surrounded by metal chains and a cast of twelve musicians, including Byrne himself, sporting bare feet and wearing identical gray suits. Cutting-edge technology in wireless audio, MIDI, lighting and real-time tracking was used to totally untether the musicians from any cables, allowing free movement and complex choreography (developed by Annie-B Parson) 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".

Other media

Broadway show

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.[17] A second run, scheduled to start in September 2020, was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was eventually moved to the St. James Theatre, where it started on September 17, 2021 and ended on April 3, 2022.

Cast recording

A live recording of the Broadway production titled American Utopia on Broadway was released in 2019 and received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album nomination.[18]

Film

A film version of the Broadway play was produced by Spike Lee as a documentary/concert film, released in late 2020.[19] debuting on HBO.[20]

Picture Book

An homonymous picture book was released in late 2020, intended to be a companion piece to the Broadway show.[21] The book includes words and lyrics by Byrne and illustrations by Maira Kalman.

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

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

  • David Byrne – vocals, guitar (tracks 1–3, 6–10), keyboards (1, 2, 7, 9), pads (9)
  • Rodaidh McDonald – arrangements (2–5, 10), (additional) keyboards (1–3, 6, 8, 9), drum programming (2–9), "verse percussion" (1), bells (6), strings (7)
  • Daniel Lopatin – keyboards (4, 5, 8, 10), drums (4, 5, 10), synthesizers and bass (4), processing and textures (8, 9), strings (8)
  • Brian Eno – drum programming, vocoder, background vocals and "prog ride tracks" (1), keyboards (6, 8), percussion (6, 9), voice effects, whistling, celeste and brass (6), drums (8), "robot rhythm guitar" (9)
  • Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) – Mellotron (1, 2, 7, 9), piano (1)
  • Joey Waronker – tom and snare (1)
  • Alex Epton – drum programming (2, 6, 8), choir programming (2), synthesizer stabs (3), bass (7), cymbals (8), shaker (9)
  • Jack Peñate – keyboards (2, 3, 7), backing vocals (2, 7), textures (2), drums, bass and shaker (3)
  • Happa – drum programming (2, 9), electronics and drums (3), synthesizer solo (9)
  • Jaakko Savolainen – guitar, bass and synthesizer (2), keyboards (3)
  • Isaiah Barr – saxophone (2, 9)
  • Jamie Edwards – sitar samples (2)
  • Nathan Jenkins – harmonica solo and voices (2)
  • Ben Reed – live bass (3, 9)
  • Magnus Bang Olsen – piano (3)
  • Jam City – synth stabs, guitar and drums (3)
  • Koreless – drums (3)
  • Ben Anderson – cymbal (3)
  • Joe Williams – harp (5)
  • Mauro Refosco – percussion (6–9)
  • Ariel Rechtshaid – flexatone (6)
  • Airhead - drums (7)
  • MMPH - main orchestral arrangement and sounds (8)
  • Brian Wolfe - drums (8)
  • Sampha – piano (9)
  • Ethan P. Flynn – "middle 8 section synthesizer" (9)

Production

  • David Byrne, Rodaidh McDonald and Patrick Dillett – production
  • Brian Eno – original tracks
  • Alex Epton, Matt Cohn and Patrick Dillett – recording engineers
  • Gabriel Schuman - additional engineering (5)
  • David Wrench – mix and additional programming
  • Marta Salogni, Jack Sugden and Tuck Nelson – mix engineers
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • 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 New Album, American Utopia, Due March 9 on Todomundo / Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch Records. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  3. "American Utopia by David Byrne reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  4. "American Utopia by David Byrne Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  5. Deming, Mark. "American Utopia – David Byrne". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  6. Adams, Erik (March 8, 2018). "David Byrne can be your guide to an uneven American Utopia". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  7. 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.
  8. Greenblatt, Leah (March 16, 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia". Entertainment Weekly. p. 107.
  9. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (March 9, 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia review – anxiety dreams from centrist dad". The Guardian. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  10. Segal, Victoria (April 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia". Mojo (293): 95.
  11. Cochrane, Greg (March 5, 2018). "David Byrne – 'American Utopia' Review". NME. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  12. Rytlewski, Evan (March 12, 2018). "David Byrne: American Utopia". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  13. Doyle, Tom (April 2018). "Dream Team". Q (383): 114.
  14. Hermes, Will (March 9, 2018). "Review: David Byrne Throws a Weird Party in His Mind on 'American Utopia'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  15. Male, Howard (March 3, 2018). "CD: David Byrne – American Utopia". The Arts Desk. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  16. Caulfield, Keith (March 18, 2018). "David Byrne Achieves First Top 10 Album on Billboard 200 Chart with American Utopia". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  17. "David Byrne's American Utopia Gets Monthlong Extension on Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  18. "Jagged Little Pill, American Utopia, Soft Power & More Earn Grammy Nominations". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  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. "'American Utopia' Book Argues For The Reincarnation Of Hope In The American Project". npr.org. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  22. "Credits (and Lyrics) to American Utopia". David Byrne. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  23. "ARIA Chart Watch #464". auspOp. March 17, 2018. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
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  25. "Ultratop.be – David Byrne – American Utopia" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
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  28. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 11.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
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  40. Caulfield, Keith (March 18, 2018). "Logic Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Bobby Tarantino II'". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
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