innovation

I went to check out an old friend's band, Urban Weasel, on Tuesday since we'd canceled Timebomb rehearsal. It was good to see them, and I realized my friend, the singer and lyricist, really had a David Byrne thing going on. His lyrics were a little out there and he really made the best use of his voice. This got me talking to another person in the crowd after the show. We agreed on the David Byrne comparison, and got talking about the lack of innovative groups like the Talking Heads these days. Talking Heads took some influences from African music and combined them with their own weirdness and punk to make something new. Then you get a band like Vampire Weekend currently (who isn't bad) but doesn't seem to have that same originality. The only band, at least in rock music, these days who really seems to be original while still making their influences known is TV on the Radio. They're definitely a band I look up to when I think about how BR and Timebomb can continue in this business and not repeat ourselves.
-Jibrail