David Byrne - The Forest - Cassette

Warner Brother Records
Cut in spine
An unexpected--and to many at the time, off-putting--sidestep from the Brazilian music which had entranced David Byrne for close to a half-decade, 1991's THE FOREST sounds rather like a bid to be seen as a serious composer. Based on the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest known narrative story, THE FOREST is a foray into 19th century Romanticism.

Less a symphony than a tone poem, complete with occasional vocal passages from Byrne and others, THE FOREST combines traditional orchestral arrangements with such relatively odd (for classical-style music) instruments as accordion and zither. Listened to free of the preconceptions aroused by Byrne's other work, THE FOREST is an interesting and occasionally lovely experiment.

Track Listing
1. Ur
2. Kish
3. Dura Europas
4. Simara
5. Nineveh
6. Ava
7. Machu Picchu
8. Tula
9. Teotihuacan
10. Asuka