Released: 2012

Genres: Art Pop, Art Rock, Chamber Pop

The Musiquarium’s Love This Giant Review Score: 7.5 out of 10

After using an orchestra on her second album, a conversation occurred between Annie Clark and David Byrne of Talking Heads about making a collaboration album together with horns — that idea later became a reality, with Love This Giant.

Who shows the fruits of this labour of love from the two art rockers and is one of the best songs on this project. Ice Age is the only track here solely written by Annie Clark and very much feels like a St. Vincent song, whereas the rest feel more like collaborative efforts. Weekend in the Dust and The Forest Awakes are other highlights.

The album’s use of horns can feel a bit like a novelty, and listeners may grow tired of them by the end of the album, but ultimately, the goal of this album was to make an album adorned with horns, so if you take it for what it was aiming for, it’s a success. Otherwise, it seems like both artists made their fair share of contributions towards the tracks, making for a smooth synthesis between the two artists, with the veteran Byrne treating the younger Clark like an equal.

In the end, Love This Giant is an interesting detour spurred by a conversation, and while it may not be the best album in either artist’s discographies, it’s still a fascinating one-off experiment and another fine David Byrne collaboration.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view David Byrne and St. Vincent on Discogs.

Back to the 2012 Album Guide or the St. Vincent Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard