Artist: Talking heads; Album: Remain In Light

This music is some of the most exciting I've heard in years because it's a paradox: rhythmically it's simple but complicated, the melodies are are bizarre but they fit perfectly, and strangely, the music contains elements from lots of styles but it's impossible to classify what style it is.

There are a lot of simple, but sophisticated, layers but they become complex when taken together. Each layer is unique, and in this case, the sum equals more than the parts of the whole. Most bands have their own sound within a genre, which is cool, but here there is one feeling or spirit manifested in every instrument and every word which seems to come from the force of David Byrne's personality, opposed to any musical predecessors.

I was at first too blown away by the strange, unique character of the music to realise they are in fact virtuosos on their instruments. But dwelling on their technical skill isn't the point.

They don't fall into musical cliches without ever giving the impression they're actively avoiding them. There's a tremendous unity in the album, but it's is so different than any music I've ever heard it's hard to believe the album is 30 years old!

I have learned that their sound was called New Wave and they emerged from the New York art scene in the mid 70s and 80s. Figures. The sound is 'out there' but the lyrics are poetic, sensitive, and esoteric, and reading the words in the albums liner does a lot to show you they actually do hail from earth. They're certainly different though!

I bought this album just before driving home from Vancouver to meet a buddy. We drove for about 50 hours home and probably heard this album 30 times without ever getting tired of it. After the first hearing I knew it was great, and over time it's become a very classic album for me personally.

It is adventurous stuff, but I think it'd be a tragedy for serious fans of music to overlook this album. In anticipation of the talking Heads revival I'm predicting, newbies best start with Remain in Light.

More to come