David Byrne & Ghost Train Orchestra Who Is The Sky?

Critic's Take

In his characteristically wry, observant voice Kai Marshall finds the best tracks on Who Is The Sky? to be immediate and idea-driven, with “Everybody Laughs” and “What Is The Reason For It?” standing out for their blend of joyous groove and philosophical bite. Marshall praises Byrne's knack for turning small absurdities into theatrical pop, noting that “Everybody Laughs” sets the tone with a gospel-tinged finale while “What Is The Reason For It?” pairs thoughtful lyricism with a propulsive rhythm. The reviewer also highlights intimate pieces like “My Apartment Is My Friend” as emotionally oddball and affecting, even as he warns the album's relentless positivity can grate over time. Overall the reviewer frames the best songs as those where Byrne's ideas and musical past align, making them the clear best tracks on Who Is The Sky?.

Key Points

• The best song is the one that pairs Byrne's idea-driven lyrics with musical breadth, notably “Everybody Laughs” which sets tone and closes with gospel touches.
• The album's core strengths are Byrne's clever observations and thematic cohesion, though relentless cheerfulness and directness make some tracks wear thin.

Themes

Critic's Take

David Byrne leans into sunny routines on Who Is the Sky?, and the best songs - “Everybody Laughs” and “She Explains Things to Me” - show why. The opener “Everybody Laughs” is a sugarbomb keynote, aggressive in its happiness and impossible to ignore. At its gentlest, as on “She Explains Things to Me”, Byrne finds transcendence in small domestic pleasures. Yet the album’s relentless gaiety too often reads as platitude, so the best tracks are the ones that retain a sliver of tenderness amid the cheer.

Key Points

• The best song, “She Explains Things to Me,” captures Byrne’s tender celebration of mundane pleasures with genuine warmth.
• The album’s core strength is its vivid, colorful pop that spotlights human interaction, though relentless cheer can feel platitudinous.

Themes

Critic's Take

David Byrne’s Who Is the Sky? often delights in its sunny, mock-calypso arrangements yet feels curiously at one remove, as if his sly observations are being broadcast through gauze. The review keeps returning to the buoyant highlights - “Everybody Laughs” with its mortality-aware cheer and “My Apartment Is My Friend” where he serenades his abode - which best show how Byrne’s deadpan persona can carry both wit and warmth. At times, though, tracks like “When We Are Singing” reveal his vocals skidding wilfully flat, making the irony land unevenly rather than land hard. Ultimately the best tracks on Who Is the Sky? are those where the jaunty instrumentation and Byrne’s observational voice converge into small, sharp pleasures rather than grand statements.

Key Points

• Everybody Laughs is best because its buoyant music still acknowledges mortality, giving the song unexpected emotional weight.
• The album’s core strengths are inventive, jaunty arrangements and Byrne’s sly observational lyricism, though a gauzy distance limits emotional impact.

Themes

Critic's Take

The review presents David Byrne & Ghost Train Orchestra's Who Is The Sky? as a confident, engaging record, singling out its theatrical and inventive moments. In the critic's voice the best songs - notably “Everybody Laughs” and “The Truth” - are praised for marrying whimsy and precision, balancing curiosity with craft. The writing emphasizes the album's strengths in arrangement and personality rather than conventional pop hooks, arguing these tracks exemplify Byrne's knack for offbeat charm. Overall, the reviewer frames the best tracks on Who Is The Sky? as both playful and meticulous, rewarding attentive listening.

Key Points

• The best song(s) stand out for their theatrical arrangements and Byrne's playful yet precise delivery.
• The album's core strengths are inventive arrangements, personality, and a balance of whimsy and craft.

Critic's Take

In his characteristically upbeat and observant voice, David Byrne returns on Who Is The Sky? with gleeful highlights like “Everybody Laughs” and “What Is The Reason For It?” that show he still relishes melody, humour and danceable arrangement. The review brims with appreciation for the album’s bright, summery energy and inventive orchestration, praising the production and standout guest vocals without pretension. Byrne’s knack for witty imagery and playful vocal turns - especially on “When Are We Singing” and the slyly nostalgic “The Truth” - makes these the best tracks on Who Is The Sky?, songs that marry charm with craft and stick in the head long after they end.

Key Points

• “Everybody Laughs” is the best song because its cheerful energy, memorable chorus and guest vocals make it irresistibly engaging.
• The album’s core strengths are upbeat, inventive arrangements, playful lyrics, and strong orchestration blending dance and art-pop.

Themes

Critic's Take

David Byrne sounds renewed on Who Is The Sky?, a warm, inward-looking record where songs like “Everybody Laughs” and “She Explains Things To Me” stand out for their heart and wit. The reviewer's voice revels in Byrne's trademark absurdity - the laugh-out-loud image of “Moisturizing Thing” sits alongside the tenderness of “My Apartment Is My Friend”. Guest vocals on “What Is The Reason For It?” are called an irresistible earworm, and the Ghost Train Orchestra's arrangements lift the whole album into something luxuriant and humane. This is plainly the best work Byrne has made in years, equal parts playful and deeply felt, and thus answers the question of the best songs on Who Is The Sky? with clear favorites.

Key Points

• The best song(s) mix Byrne's warm domesticity with his absurd wit, especially “Everybody Laughs” and “She Explains Things To Me”.
• The album's core strengths are lush Ghost Train Orchestra arrangements, emotional directness, and playful lyrical absurdity.

Themes

Critic's Take

David Byrne sounds joyous and peculiar on Who Is The Sky?, and the best songs - notably “Everybody Laughs” and “When We Are Singing” - exemplify his manic celebration of pop modernism. Tom Taylor writes with a delighted bemusement, admiring how “Everybody Laughs” opens the record like a groovy, bottomless single and how “When We Are Singing” indulges in obscene kazoo-like vocal solos. The review praises Byrne's singular viewpoint and Kid Harpoon's tidy production marrying perfectly with the Ghost Train Orchestra, which makes these tracks the album's clearest touchstones. In this voice, the album's best tracks feel both accessible and gloriously strange, answering searches for the best songs on Who Is The Sky? in a way that matches the record's oddball charm.

Key Points

• ‘Everybody Laughs’ is the best song for encapsulating the album's groovy, bottomless pop-modernist appeal.
• The album’s core strengths are Byrne's singular, absurdist viewpoint and the marriage of pop production with avant-garde orchestration.

Themes