Tom Tom Club

"Genius of Love" is bonkers in the best way. The whole album is a wild ride that goes all over the place, but maintains a fun and playful spirit throughout. David Byrne is a fascinating figure, but this really shows you how much Frantz and Weymouth brought to the Talking Heads sound. Absolutely bursting with creative energy but doesn't take itself too seriously. One of the best side projects of all time.

is this the kind of album that hipsters listen to when they congregate?

I don't see the appeal of this album. It feels more like a novelty record than actual music at times and many of the songs go on way longer than felt necessary. On the plus side, now I know where the sample in Fantasy came from!

It's all a bit weird and silly and shit.

One I have on vinyl. A very strong piece of evidence that Weymouth and Frantz were the genius of the Talking Heads, rather than David Byrne (the truth is it's all of them). Just 8 tracks of funk/reggae/hip-hop inflected weirdness. Joy. If you listen to Genius of Love and don't want to bop, you may be medically dead

With their band on top of their game, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz decided that sitting on their hands while their elastic, observant and forever curious frontman went out and explored new territories wasn't going to work for them and, in the process, set about standing out from the pack in more ways than one. For this debut album from the Tom Tom Club, with its hand-drawn aesthetic and endless nods to emerging hip-hop culture and post-disco reverie, evokes a interminable summer vibe where it is blissful to be young with no worries in the world and little need to be skeptical and suspicious about things. In Tom Tom Club's world, it's just them and scores more would come, on and on... there are more of them, more than anyone would realize.

Musically talented, but is proof they needed a frontman and vocalist with the zaniness of David Byrne to really pull it all together. Still enjoyable though.

I think "infectious" is the best word to describe this album. Just some great grooves. I've always thought that Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were criminally overlooked and underrated as the key to the Talking Heads' sound. It's like people thought Talking Heads was all David Byrne and the rest were just session musicians. Anyway, this is a great album and showcase for Chris and Tina, with help from Adrian Belew and others. 4 stars.

After listening i can only get hard while listening to the long version of Genius of Love. 2/5

Better than at least two of the Talking Heads records on this list.

I could hear the music that this album went on to influence. In its infancy, hip hop has something to pay homage to here with the style and daring Visio. From Tom Tom Club. Not perfect, but visionary.

This is wild. First track is like "wtf is going on, it's catchy though... this is like new wave Kraftwerk". Then I saw it was Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth from The Talking Heads and it all made sense. Ohhh shit Genius of Love, I've heard this. The synth and random chirps are so good. This is like a different take on "Once In a Lifetime" by Talking Heads. I will say overall some of the songs overstay their welcome a bit and I wish a few stopped 2 mins earlier, but overall a grand showcase of what others besides David Byrne add to Talking Heads. I'm in heaven With the maven of funk mutationa

I love literally anything even tangentially related to Talking Heads, so I am all about this shit. Can I join the club???

Proof that Talking Heads was more than David Byrne. The OTHER members keep pushing limits in what is an instrument to song composition.

Quirky sound and odd lyrics that result in some strange fun.

Þetta er hressileg plata, skemmtilegur early 80s hljóðheimur og ein dansgólfsbomba.

Didn't expect to like this as much as I did. The beats are undeniable. This also has some "cool factor", if I put this on with company, i'd seem cool and obscure. All in all, a good time.

The Tom Tom Club was a side project of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, bass player and drummer respectively, of the Talking Heads. When this first came out, most of us doubted this was really them since the music was nothing like the Talking Heads. Rhythm heavy, as one might expect from a bass player and drummer, The Tom Tom Club's music was club music with heavy beats and even (heaven forbid!) rapping. Genius of Love and Wordy Rappinhood quickly became major club and new wave radio hits. It was different, fresh, accessible, and forward looking. The Tom Tom Club has continued to make albums throughout the decades but none achieved the popularity of their epynomous debut.

This was a lot more fun and creative than expected. Genius of Love is still one of the best songs ever recorded. But the rest is a real trip. Seriously unserious. Sweetly romantic, without ever being schmaltzy.

Howard Hawks purportedly once advised John Wayne "“Duke, if you can make two good scenes and not annoy the audience for the rest of the film, you’ll be a star", which is a perfect summary of Tom Tom Club's S/T album. The album is all about the vibe, which is a breezy white-funk take on Zapp's 'More Bounce to the Ounce'. There is a strong influence of funk and early hip-hop, which then folds back into those same genres; Genius of Love is highly sampled, because it bangs. The classic singles, conveniently frontloaded at the beginning of the album, are stellar. Fun, funky, clever, and fresh, they still sound like a million bucks and are dancefloor bangers. The rest of the album could be described as filler, but it is fun filler, and I enjoyed spinning it. Nothing to annoy the audience there. A big shout out for nice guitar work from Adrian Belew, especially on L'elephant. I dig it and will play more often (especially Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love; "Bohannon! Bohannon! Bohannon! Bohannon! JAMES BROWN!") Fun fact: Tom Tom Club taped a performance on Soul Train the same day Talking Heads filmed Stop Making Sense. Good day at the office from Chris and Tina, there.

Chris and Tina from Talking Heads deliver some serious hits on the front and back ends of this album, taking the funkier elements from their sister band and ramping up the disco. It's a series of focused persistent grooves with surprising, sometimes funny and abstract vocals. It's nice to get a sense of the rest of the band’s personality without David Byrne who would otherwise take centre stage. The quality of Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, On On On On… and Booming and Zooming seriously outweigh the rest of the album, which is otherwise a more patient affair.

The whole album is a wild ride that goes all over the place, but maintains a fun and playful spirit throughout. David Byrne is a fascinating figure, but this really shows you how much Frantz and Weymouth brought to the Talking Heads sound. Absolutely bursting with creative energy but doesn't take itself too seriously. One of the best side projects of all time.

Twenty one years ago we went on a road trip through the Deep South. Each of us made a mixtape and the songs I remember most from that trip were “Crime in the City” (Neil Young, Howard’s choice, the song that made me realise I like NY), “The Mercy Seat” (Johnny Cash covering Cave, Simon’s choice), “Love Spreads” (the Stone Roses, my choice as I thought it would be funny to bring a Manc version of Southern Rock), and “Genius of Love” (Dinah’s choice, maybe my favourite). I bought this album when I got back and was disappointed. The first two tracks are great, the rest underwhelmed me. I’m pleased to discover today that the rest is better than I remember: throwaway, but happy. This isn’t a great album, but it’s lovelier than many better ones here.

I read somewhere that this album and the associated singles sold more copies/made more money than all of the Talking Heads work combined! It's been fun over the years hearing "Genius Of Love" re-worked repeatedly to give some substance to the current chart flavor-of-the-month. There's a 10+ minute dub version out there with ear-splittingly loud bass, a phenomenal soundtrack for a late night drive down a dark desert road.

Good performances by the aforementioned great rhythm section of Talking Heads. This album reveals they would have most likely been stuck in their TH77 days if the songwriting had been more democratic. As a frontman and penman for their material, Chris and Tina needed David Byrne to take the next leap. I enjoyed this though.

Finally! I've been waiting for this album on the list. I used to think that Genius of Love and Wordy Rappinghood were two of the most ingenious songs of the 80s! Brilliant unique sound and I have wanted to hear the rest of the album. Standouts: Genius of Love, Wordy Rappinghood Others: L'éléphant Rating: 3.5

I liked this but I wanted to enjoy it more. Noce to imagine bugs making tbe music.

2.1 I really didn't get this one. Love Talking Heads, but first time listening to the spin-off and actually don't get it. Amazed and confused by David Byrne dismissing this as too commercial. If anything it's way more experimental. And just not very good. The first track is such a bad start. The one hit wonder that comes next is bland but acceptable. And the rest passes by without any fanfare whatsoever. At least it was short, when you ignore the hours of bonus tracks on Spotify.

The type of music you'd be tortured with at Butlins No thanks 2 ⭐️

Aside from genius of love this is a pretty weird album that seems like a cross between kids songs and Halloween themed music. It’s unique and experimental but overall it’s a bit weird for me. I can see the talking heads pieces but the main guy is what made them great. This couple helped make them different. 5.2/10

Unlistenable. Hated every second of it

Too squeaky and lame.

Album #10: Tom Tom Club Genre (according to Wikipedia): Funk Singles?: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, On, On, On, On…/L'éléphant, Under the Boardwalk Have you listened to this album or this group before?: Only Genius of Love. Thoughts?: I love how funky this album is! I love Talking Heads, and this feels like a groovier, funkier version of the songs on Remain in Light. I’m loving this album so far! This is probably gonna be one of my absolute favorites! Favorite songs: All of it!! As a writer, what can you use this album for when honing your craft?: Definitely for bizarre or surreal scenes. It just sounds quirky. File correlations: File #004: C*O*M*A*T*O*S*E

I'm clapping my hands in glee

This album is what happens when two members of Talking Heads go, “What if we got way sillier and way funkier and just… vibed?” It’s art-pop that wandered onto a tropical dance floor and decided never to leave. Cartoonish, funky, playful, borderline goofy — and somehow brilliant. It’s the sound of a vacation you didn’t plan but are now spiritually committed to. Rating: 4.7/5** Short Review: Post-punk kids discover color, rhythm, sunshine, and the joys of sounding unhinged on purpose. Favorite Track: “Genius of Love” — the bassline alone could solve several of your emotional problems.

Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz’s Tom Tom Club is pure sunshine funk — playful, catchy, and endlessly cool. Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love groove with effortless joy, mixing reggae, pop, and dance with cheeky charm. I played it for my friend Shack, who paused mid–lamb chop to declare, “That’s cooked perfectly.” He’s right — it’s perfectly done: simple, flavourful, timeless. Over forty years later, it still sizzles like summer on vinyl.

This is why I’m persevering with this project. One year in and many, many country albums later I am rewarded with this. Hadn’t heard the name of this band before, but instantly recognised the first and second songs. The first because it’s a regular on 6Music and the second because it having been sampled. It’s a wonderfully eclectic, fresh and exciting album from start to finish. 5 stars without question!

I have really enjoyed this album. There's something arresting about it. The songs in the middle aren't singles that I would think to add to a playlist, but are amazing album songs. On, On, On, On was one that really stood out for me.

I've never sat and listened to this entire album before. I don't love it. But Genius of Love is, of course, genius. So...album? 3 stars. Genius of love? 8 stars so...I guess that averages out to 5 stars. Given how we hear Genius of Love at least once a decade as new artists find it and repurpose it, there's no denying the impact of this album on music over the past 40+ years. If it has a flaw, it's the dated 'early examples of white people trying to rap'. It took white folks at least another decade before they got the hang of it.

this album is so fun, so original, so much more interesting to listen to than so much of the slop on this list. i loved it even more than i thought i would!

Loved this from the title track. Each track runs so smoothly into the next and I adore well executed novelty music. Went in completely cold and was happy to learn this is a Talking Heads side project. Very glad they got back with Bryne but Tina and Chris still crush it on their own. So much fun and Genius of Love was wild both as a song and for all the places it's been sampled.

I really love all the funk and punk components and influences they incorporate into their projects, both as Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads. I was just always destined to like anything this collection of musicians would put out.

When the bass player and drummer husband-wife duo get to prove their value.

Well damn, this was a surprise! The only Tom Tom Club track I was aware of going in was "Genius of Love", and then it wasn't the whole song - it was the sample from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's "It's Nasty" and it's partial use in an episode of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"! 😆 Based on that, I was kinda expecting some throwaway novelty record that would almost instantly become annoying to listen to. This actually slaps, though - like a far less obnoxious Public Image Ltd in places. New wave / post-punk / disco / world music all thrown together, but it sounds like its own thing. "Wordy Rappinghood" on paper should be radioactive cringe but in practice it really works! I guess because they're riffing on early hip-hop rather than trying to actually do hip-hop? Will definitely be checking out their other albums. Fave tracks - "Wordy Rappinghood", "Genius of Love", "As Above, So Below", and probably my absolute fave goes to "On,On,On,On..." - the optimism of that song healed my soul, a little

Tom Tom Club was a side project of the Talking Heads; Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth named the band after the Caribbean dance hall where they first rehearsed. The band's self-titled debut album was it's most successful work. The album's success was driven by the single "Genius of Love," the band's biggest single, and one of the most popular dance tracks of all time. It has been sampled extensively, both for the rhythm and the melodic hook. This is groundbreaking dance music - with this release, they helped defined 80's dance music.

Ahh marvellous stuff. Worth it for the hits alone and the album tracks are also all pretty lush. Well structured too imo. Amazing bass of course. Carefree and fancy free. Funny. Right in the spirit. Almost a five.

A fascinating stepping stone. So odd to see that proto hip-hop/funk vibe. Not always on board with the vocal stylings and occasional french, but overall its just a fun listen. Some tracks go on a bit long, but rarely make me want to turn off. A high3/low 4 that just sneaks into 4 territory.

Perhaps the most compelling argument for cocaine in the history of popular music.

The songs I knew, I didn't like. I dislike the Sesame St energy of Wordy Rappinghood, and the "James Brown" cringe of Genius of Love. But pretty much everything else about this is great (until Booming and Zooming which is bad). It's got such a great vibe all the way through, just love it. Very surprised by how good it got.

Wow, this one was really interesting. Seems way ahead of their time but, honestly, that's just another way of saying other people are still copying their sound. Had no idea this was an offshoot of Talking Heads. I didn't love it but really enjoyed. 3.5 rounding up.

I absolutely love the zany approach they took with the synth. This album is really weird and a little off-putting at times, but they did what so many other artists who try to make an off the beaten path kinda album can't - the choices seemed really intentional and made the music better. So many of these 'out-there' albums are weird for the sake of being weird and expect you to applaud it because they did something weird, not because they made good music. This album threads that needle and is really impressive.

Yup, I thought it was a kids album too, with a couple tame sex and cocaine references casually dropped. When I find out it's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz from Talking Heads it's too late - even with all the same rythms of Remain in Light and Heads regular Adrian Belew adding Heads guitar sounds all over the place, it's catchy but most of it so simplistic and Tina and her sisters all singing little girl voices it's still a kids record in my mind - one I'd be happy to have added to my daughter's collection at age 3, but just feels disappointing given all the musicianship here. I'll dip into their later albums and see what developed, fingers crossed.

Plenty of fun to be had here but it’s hard to ignore the fact the best of it is the bit that sounds like the Talking Heads, so then you just want to stick on the Talking Heads

It's so very twee. It's interesting and fun and I'd even say I round up to enjoying it. The good parts are enough to make me ignore the cringy stuff. Tina Weymouth is a much better bassist than singer. Their cover of Under the Boardwalk sucks but I'll ignore it because it's only on some releases of this album.

50/100. When it works, it delivers some quirky, fun moments. But when it doesn’t, it can feel clunky and off-putting. I found myself stuck somewhere in the middle, there’s charm, but also inconsistency.

I didn’t listen to the deluxe album just the 40 mins version. I don’t think I liked it but did quite like it. The tracks were so repetitive and I wanted them to hurry up and finish but quite liked them. It’s too confusing I didn’t hate it but also didn’t love it. Won’t be listening to 2 hours of the deluxe album that I am sure of.

Since I couldn't find the deluxe edition on youtube.com, I listened to the Tom Tom Club Full Album 1981 and then listened to their second album "Close To The Bone" since according to the Wikipedia synopsis this was how the deluxe edition was packaged. I totally understood why this music would appeal to the dance clubs with the repeating beat, strong drums, and swinging rhythms. There were a couple of times where I found my own toe tapping to the rhythm; however, I can only listen to this type of music for limited periods of time as there is too much similarity in the style of music and songs for me. I did appreciate that the band used some varied musical instruments which helped. I was amused by some of the words which were expressed in "Wordy Rappinghood" and I appreciated the change into French words also. I'm not sure why I didn't like their songs, "Booming and Zooming" and "L'Elephant" as they were more of the same, but something about these two songs just annoyed me. Although I thought the girls' voices were sort of breathy, I missed their voices on the purely instrumental versions of their songs on the "Close To The Bone" album. I liked the laid-back, cherry sound to the song, "Never Took A Penny".

This was an interesting ride. It felt like an alternate take on disco and dance music, focusing on a different vibe than either of the two. It was intriguing and kept my attention the whole way through, even if some songs went on for longer than they probably should have. Without a doubt, the musical choices and weaving vocals make it pretty iconic. It's ethereal and atmospheric at times, in your face at others. It could feel bubblegum pop-ish or funky depending on what part you were listening to. That said, even with its range, it never really sounded too different from one song to another. I can't say that I loved it, but I appreciated it and thought it felt fresh. And it's hard to argue against its widespread impact just considering the number of times Genius of Love has been sampled by different artists over the years. I personally found the album solid but unspectacular. Overall: 2.75/5

If all "isms" was a band this would be it. Not unlikable but clearly from the mond of someone that screams in supermarkets

An interesting concept but I don’t think it was executed as well as it could be. The good, the bass work of Tina is amazing really groovy, on some of the songs the vocals are quite entrancing and some genuinely very good very influential songs. Now the bad, a lot of the songs are very much products of the time, they sound of the 80s and not in the good way, I did find myself having to skips song because of it. I also found some of the songs went for too long with no development of musical ideas so I found they started quite good but became a bit boring

If being in Talking Heads wasn't quite quirky enough for you, why not create an even quirkier side project? Well, here it is. It's party music for people who try too hard by carrying a biscuit tin and wearing bowling shoes. Best Tracks: Wordy Rappinghood; Genius of Love; As Above So Below;

I couldn't tell if they were trying to be funny or not on most of these tracks. Are these songs what they spoof on Portlandia? Some of the lyrics are prosaic, and in other songs it's like they were running out of money for lyrics and just had to keep reusing the same lines. That can be effective if you can assure your audience you're in control of it. When I imagined then just having fun and being goofy, I enjoyed it a lot more.

Got some mixed feelings on this one. Genius of Love is obv an ATJ and there’s a couple of other bangers but I find a few of the songs hard to listen to. Respect it but don’t love it front to back

It's quite nice but pretty corny

Oh I remember this one now! I remembered them but not the music. Once the first track started the flood of memories listening to this hit. It's....quirky. If you think this is Talking Heads the sequel it's not. It's got the fun experimental part of it. Wordy Rappinghood is an example of it, as is Genius of Love. Both decent enough tunes, but most of the album doesn't pull it together enough to be more than a quirky experiment. Like they got more enamored with fun in the studio they forgot the rest of it, making a more coherent album. You have some great parts of songs but that doesn't make things work. It's worth a listen as there are a few songs that are decent The fist couple and the last couple are about it.

It was a vibe at times, it was a bit forgettable at times. I do think there’s a lot of 80’s music that has aged so very poorly, but this actually holds up alright! “Genius Of Love” was a pretty cool beat for its time but goddamn I could happily never hear another song sample it again and I’d be perfectly happy with it. “Lorelei” miiiiight be my favorite track purely for how catchy it was. Kinda like a talking heads cut. Either that or “On On On On”. Maybe a soft 3 on this one

I've never heard of Tom Tom Club, but I Genius of Love sure did sound familiar. I'm not sure how to describe the album as a whole. There's a bit of not great rap, some Bananarama-type pop, and a bad cover of Under the Boardwalk. Why did she have to change "my baby" to "my boyfriend" anyway? I liked the song Lorelei, though. All in all, an average 3/5.

I would have loved to really enjoy this one, but I couldn't get into it. Despite the upbeat synth-pop tunes, a lot of the other creative decisions on here are baffling and just flat out annoying. When it all comes together-as it does on "Genius of Love", one of the most earwormy tunes ever concieved-it really works, but overall this one is missing some of the cohesion I know these musicians can bring to the table.

Its got a good beat and the lyrics... Are ok. But man these songs are so long and go nowhere. I get it, it's for doing coke on a dance floor, but it makes for a sober listening on my way to work a bit tedious.

Genius of Love makes me think of Always Sunny in Philadelphia (they all dance to it in ridiculous ways)

This feels like the soundtrack for a weird, retro kids show. The music is funky and has its charm, but the talk-singing really isn't for me. I find it pretty annoying. Apparently the musicians in Tom Tom Club are also in Talking Heads, whose music I like a lot more than this. I really prefer David Byrne's singing. (Happy new year, y'all!)

Eh there’s a reason the talking heads are known and not these guys. Feels a little “weird for the sake of weird.” I am reminded of Dennis Wilson where the spinoff is, while produced well etc, not at the same levels of the progenitor.

They definitely have a unique sound. Good production quality too. I'm guessing they're more famous because Mariah Carey used Genius of Love as a base for Fantasy. I didn't dislike this one, but I was finding myself wanting to move onto the next song halfway through the one I was on. They also have some really annoying sections where they are just making weird noises. If Talking Heads is music by artists for normal people, then this is made by artists, for artists. Normies like me just don't get it, and that's ok.

Hard to believe this band took itself seriously. Or maybe I just don't get it. Or maybe they don't take themselves seriously and this is all a silly joke. I remember hearing about the band back in the day but never really knew who they were. This app forced me to take a listen. I hadn't missed much.

Given the success of the Talking Heads and having seen them three times during their run, I was interested to see what Tina and Chris could come up with when Talking Heads dissolved. Wordy Rappinghood was no where near my mind when the song was released. It’s still not. WTF? And this was a hit. Duck duck here duck duck there everywhere a duck. Holy shit I thought back then. They have lost the plot. And yet, then there is Genius of Love. The DNA of Talking Heads is there but with Tina’s soft vocals the song is definitely something new. Unfortunately, there are only a few of these aha type moments on the album. I love the attempt at experimentation but this is an album filled with repetitive dance synth pop that is produced in such a soulless manner that it comes off as a bit cold, and frankly safe. Some of the songs could have amounted to more than background Muzak but given the box that they had wrote themselves into, these songs were just kind of dull. As Above, so Below is 5:22 of repetition that is rather lifeless and therefore starts the urge to just skip the rest. And that is the problem with the record - it never really launches and the urge to just turn it off and play something else becomes overwhelming. I finished it but honestly cannot recall any of the tracks as none made any impact on me, the listener. As a consequence, you can’t say it’s bad because it is well played and therefore listenable. But that is the low bar. And this is supposed to be a record that should impact your life. This record does not. And that is truly a shame.

bunch of retards on acid found a synth Some nice beats tho Somehow sounds really good and really bad at the same time The lyrics are kind of intolerable Part of me wanted to hate it from the first song, but was tapping my feet through parts of it It’s a good album, but not great in my opinion

This is pretty awful. And yet seemingly half the tracks here became a memorable sample for fun rap and pop songs in the 90s. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

One thing this project has taught me is white folks shouldn’t go down to the Caribbean and use the vibes down there for their own white people shit.

Take the first two tracks out of the equation and there was little there to maintain my interest. It gets a 2 because I've always liked Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love

There's a fine line between catchy and irritating and Genius of Love is walking it

One decent song

A few bright spots on an otherwise boring album. There’s creativity here for sure but a lot of creative exploration better left to the bedroom or private studio. Editing is a good thing and Tom Tom could have left 80% of this double album unreleased.

One good song does not an album make

Started off pretty good but then got really weird. About what I would expect from a band that spun off from Talking Heads.

Not sure I see the point of this album. It's cute enough and filled with competent percussion, but nothing stands out as "must hear," especially when I know this has been included on the list of 1001 albums but absolutely NO Warren Zevon albums made that cut. I've certainly heard albums on this project that I would drop from the list before I bumped this one, but I can't imagine it would ever have made the cut of my own personal list of 950 albums I feel people "must" listen to.

The Tom Tom Club makes it easy for me to rate them this time. The very first song, “Wordy Rappinghood,” combines everything that's annoying about new wave: uninspired and monotonous sequencer drums? Check! Sequencer bass? Check (although I've heard worse)! Pointlessly affected, children's song-like vocals with falsetto? Check (even with totally annoying overemphasis on “1” & “3” – that was probably really intended to get on the listener's nerves). This is followed by “Genius of Love,” which, according to Wikipedia, was also a big hit—but it also says that “Tom Tom Club” is a funk album. Let me put it this way: after listening to this album, I understand better why so many people don't want to listen to 80s music anymore.

Sounds like someone brought some coke and a casio and started trying to sell raps to sesame street. There may be a reason I'd never heard of them.

a joyful and playful masterpiece. the talking heads pedigree is obvious and important (what is this if not yet another peak autism record) but it rly allows itself to be open and even Aimless in a way talking heads would usually sharpen into a less ephemeral direction. has there ever been a more amorphous hit song than genius of love??? the songs all set the strong grabbable foundation u'd expect from tina and chris, but everything on top is swimming and splashing around like a kid in a pool, reveling in the physical sensation of how water changes your relationship to your body and your surroundings. the beautiful album cover suits this stimmy wonder perfectly. i should have heard this years ago.

Went into this blind and the first song is a trip, euro disco synths and funky bass with rapping (sort of) over it? The vocals are pretty weird in general. Some great percussion too - tom toms, I presume? I didn't know this was a Talking Heads side project and it's starting to make sense. Genius of Love is next, bouncy bass with more bleeps and bloops from the keyboards. This is so much fun and just satisfying to listen to. If the rest is anywhere near as good, I'm sold. Tom Tom Theme is a brief instrumental break and L'Elephant draws much more from world music. It doesn't feel out of place. Every track is such a neat mix of percussion and synths - it's repetive, mesmeric. Lorelei has a particularly entrancing keyboard melody and On, On, On, On is a bit different, a very catchy chorus. Under the Boardwalk has island vibes, maybe calypso influence. The one constant is the ever present bass. Calling this funk feels correct and reductive at the same time. It's brilliantly bizarre.

So good. I think it’s the talking heads sound I love but still this is a stand alone album that is great. The depth of sound is amazing and the almost childish lyrics and vocals sound great next to the level of depth of the music. Added all to my playlist.

i miss when life was full of colours and whimsy.

I liked this one a lot. After I finished it I went on to listen to a playlist of songs that sample genius of love

I liked it

Boosting to remind myself - reminds me of OOIOO - but yeah a bit annoying XD

The best parts of the Talking Heads became Tom Tom Club... This album is a gem.

Просто супер альбом!!! движово живо танцевально

I can’t believe this gets a 5, but it was such a delightful surprise. Cool, fun, unique sound. So glad for this randomly generated recommendation.

The best side quest since Andi went to a gym for a bit, and came back as a massive, semi mythical beast now globally known as SHACK.

This album was just so much fun. It was cool to hear songs that have been sampled in other places. I loved the multitude of languages used and the cool electronic sounds. On a whole the album seems like it was made more recently than 81.

What a ride!