Talking Heads: Speaking in Tongues

LP Record Of all the studio albums Talking Heads ever recorded, this is one of their finest, representing their most successful balance between sophisticated underground and danceable, catchy songs. The lyrics, which express fear, paranoia, and alienation in an abstract and associative way, are musically supported by frantic beats and glaring synthesiser sounds, and yet the songs hold together. This sound is as much at home on the New York “no wave” scene as it is in London clubs, and the sonic proximity to Grace Jones's early '80s productions is quite striking. In simple terms, it's a very danceable reggae/dub sound with funky guitar licks.