In 2006, David Byrne and Brian Eno’s My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, which had long been hailed as “seminal”, was reissued with the requisite extra tracks. Then the two collaborated on an album for the first time in decades. The bigger surprise, given their previous work together, was that Everything That Happens Will Happen Today was a collection of songs as opposed to groundbreaking experimentalism. Considering the recent work both men had done on their own, this shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise, but still. The overall theme was the relief of domesticity, yet with subtle undercurrents, as depicted in the artwork.
Right away “Home” begins with trilling acoustic guitars, and a chorus that’s descended from recent Eno collaborator Paul Simon’s “Homeward Bound”, but with more pointed lyrics. “My Big Nurse” has a similarly loping rhythm and odd imagery, while “I Feel My Stuff” is more unique, lined with discordant piano and a more quirky vocal from Byrne, who sings all the leads throughout. “Everything That Happens” returns to the dreamy sound hinted at in the first songs, and we finally hear the gospel influence the fellas had been talking about while making the album. “Life Is Long” adds a brass section to support the affirming message, which seems to pervade through “The River” despite the imagery linked to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
More familiar beats we’d expect from this dynamic duo emerge on the danceable “Strange Overtones”, not just the first single but offered as a free download. “Wanted For Life” is mildly robotic but builds to a more, well, human sound, with hooks everywhere. The liner notes mention the inspiration for “One Fine Day”, that being the story of a refugee who manages to hold onto hope through all kinds of adversity, and that runs through the album. He turns on his soulful voice for the polyrhythmic “Poor Boy” with those fake horns Eno liked to use, and “The Lighthouse” is a mildly languid closer, still on the idea of finding a home, with some odd counterpoints to underscore the difficulty of achieving same.
While occasionally cold, just like the cover art, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today does eventually fulfill its aim, to unite these partners again, and make the world feel a little better about itself. Naturally they were drawn to the promotional possibilities of doing it all themselves, and Byrne even went on tour to promote it. Eno did not join him.
A deluxe edition of the album was released a few months later, in a circular tin topped with a model of the house and yard from the front cover and containing a book, an antacid pill, a six-sided die of short phrases, and a bonus enhanced CD with an film, screensaver, and four extra songs. “Never Thought” is a lush pop song that should have been on the main album, and we’d even say the same for “Walking On The River”, “The Eyes”, and “The Painting”. The lyrics seem to be thematically linked, but maybe they didn’t want a three-sided album.
David Byrne & Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008)—3
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