Love These Giants

I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when the collaboration between perpetually cool David Byrne and doe-eyed avant-pop upstart St. Vincent was hatched. If you aren’t familiar with Byrne, let me first waggle a disapproving finger at you, and then list his resume: “Once in a Lifetime,” Stop Making Sense, “Burning Down the House” and “Psycho Killer” to only skim the surface.

Since his seminal New York art-punk band Talking Heads split up, he has kept busy pushing pop music boundaries in an interesting, if somewhat uneven, solo career. In collaboration with musicians like Fatboy Slim, Byrne proves that once-vital artists don’t need to completely fade into middle-aged complacency. (I’m looking at you, Bono.)

So it made a certain kind of sense when Byrne collaborated with Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent). St. Vincent has made a name for herself blending cerebral, music school arrangements with Kate Bush-style cosmic energy and muscular, Afro-pop-tinged guitar playing (influenced in no small part by Byrne’s work with the Talking Heads). The duo produced Love This Giant in 2012: a collection of intricately arranged, horn-centric art rock, heavy on the kind of Afro-groove both artists are known for. The result is some of Byrne’s most interesting work in years; “I Should Watch TV” features his trademark awkward New York anxiety and social commentary: “I used to think that I should watch TV / I used to think that it was good for me / Wanted to know what folks were thinking / To understand the land I live in.”

David Byrne and St. Vincent bring their Love This Giant tour at 8 pm Wednesday, July 17, to The Cuthbert Amphitheater; $35 general admission, $55 reserved.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!