Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

Many people have been intrigued by the rags-to-riches life of Philippine political doyenne Imelda Marcos and her numberless shoes, but none has yet created a concept album based on her. “The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick?” says David Byrne about the inception of Here Lies Love. But creating another idiosyncratic narrative was not enough for the former Talking Head; he also decided to team up with British big-beat producer Fatboy Slim to see if it was possible to “bring a kind of theater to the disco.” The result is mixed and, thanks to the presence of powerful vocalists (Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, etc.) and thoughtful lyrics, it’s more likely to be listened to in the living room than danced to in a nightclub. Fatboy Slim’s presence is often barely discernable, but he does impart some signature beats to the best tracks, including the smoky “Don’t You Agree?” (featuring Róisín Murphy). In sum, a worthy effort complicated by its conflicting ambition to be both seriously listened to and danced to.