Beck, Lorde, Arcade Fire Feature In David Byrne’s ‘One Year Later’ Playlist

David Byrne has shared a new playlist entitled ‘One Year Later’, which contemplates America’s political climate since last year’s presidential election.

“These are some of the pop songs I’ve been listening to in recent months as this strange anniversary approaches,” the former Talking Heads frontman said in a statement. “Something tells me some of this music relates to how these artists are feeling in the world these days. Tone can be hopeful, yearning and is often a source of solace.”

The 49-track playlist features songs such as ‘Up All Night’ by Beck, ‘Liability’ by Lorde, ‘I Give You Power’ by Arcade Fire (featuring Mavis Staples) and ‘I Promise’ by Radiohead in addition to contributions from artists as diverse as Oneohtrix Point Never, St. Vincent, Perfume Genius, Rostam, Feist, Arto Lindsay, Young Fathers, Zola Jesus and more.

“I listen to this music while I’m cooking, which I do occasionally—slicing and chopping goes well with music,” Byrne said. “I also listen when I’m commuting to work down the west side Hudson River Park on my bike (I’ve been working all October on a theater workshop on Governors Island—it might be a year or so before more news). There’s no traffic on the bike path, so I feel pretty safe listening and even singing along on the ride back uptown.

“Back to the election—something tells me some of this music relates to how these artists are feeling in the world these days. The tone can be hopeful, yearning and is often a source of solace,” his statement concluded.

Earlier this year, David Byrne revealed that his next record is likely to feature Oneohtrix Point Never and long-time collaborator Brian Eno. Also during 2017, Byrne’s documentary Contemporary Color—which followed a multi-disciplinary performance with St. Vincent, Nelly Furtado, Dev Hynes, and more—received a theatrical release.

Format: UK English