Classic Day – Static Age

While in 2022 sampled music and vocals come as no surprise to a mix for a record, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts Becomes one of the first “masterpieces” in progressive sound circles between both David Byrne and Brian Eno.

The two eccentric and tasteful musicians that appear to always be at the cutting edge of production use My Life in the Bush of Ghosts as a formal introduction to space and time being the unconventional beauty of the performance.

The record begins with “America Is Waiting” where instead of seeing Byrne or Eno make an appearance through approachable singing, the group instead opts to use sampled words and vocalization from a wide range of sources.

The source material becomes one of the main reasons to adapt with My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and to continue to revisit the project. With slight head turns towards the Talking Heads, and other head nods to the droning atmospheric noise of Eno, there are motions toward African influences all over the record.

During the time of recording, the Talking Heads took a break between the recordings of Fear Of Music in 1979, and Remain In Light in 1980. Together the locked sonic arms and abilities of both Eno and Byrne stay adaptive through “Mea Culpa” where the intensity of sound becomes ramped into near threatening levels.

“Mea Culpa” has these pounding tribal drums that spark against the frame of My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and begin to scatter the audience in thousands of directions. With components that rely on the sampled low-tuned narration which is jumbled beyond belief, the sampling becomes jumbled by overlaying layers upon layers to be one large mess of noise.

Later moments spent with My Life in the Bush of Ghosts like “Help Me Somebody”  is based on spirituality for thematic taste, but instrumentally appears more as a Talking Heads b-side where the fast strumming strings and jungle congas are upbeat and frantic. In the most positive light for My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, “Help Me Somebody” is the easiest to approach and dance with.

One of the last touches of humanity on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts trades into “A Secret Life” where the vocalization of Samira Tewfik is as mesmerizing as it is pacing and tense. The percussion which keeps time as clicks and clasping cymbals, the found objects that are used within My Life in the Bush of Ghosts becomes the framework for the record.

Especially on “A Secret Life,” there are motions where the swooping strings and emotional draw becomes almost attached at moments to the audience. The overlay of Tewfik’s vocals are almost inhumane with pitch tampering and a daunting sense of scale to the once striking, but gorgeous voice.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts becomes a studied hidden gem in a world of discovery from both Byrne and Eno. The two icons for good reason are a strange mix-up, but reveal some uncompromising and unrelenting ability through manipulation of sound.

Listen To My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts Here!!! – Spotify/iTunes