David Byrne and Brian Eno reconnect with album, tour

Hey...did you hear the news over your local art-rock watercooler? You know, about David Byrne, former lead singer of the Talking Heads, and his new artistic collaboration? That's right, friends: Byrne's working with Fatboy Slim!

But before you start to drool over the possibilities of that pairing, it's best not to bury the lead any longer: Byrne is also at work with his old partner in musical paradigm shifting, Brian Eno. As The Daily Swarm first alerted us, the two have produced a new album together that should arrive via Nonesuch by the end of the year.

Byrne is calling the record a slice of "electronic gospel," which doesn't sound like so much of a departure for this duo. After all, televangelist preaching has never sounded so funky as it did on the last Byrne/Eno collaboration, 1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.

Even better, the Swarm adds that Byrne and Eno have a tour mostly booked, and that the setlist should feature about "40% Eno-era Talking Heads material." Eno produced three albums for Byrne's old group between 1978 and 1980—seminal efforts, all of them. Who knows what Eno will play during the stage show, but if he shows up in his Roxy Muxic garb, that alone will justify picking up a ticket. No dates have been announced just yet, but stay tuned, Paste cadets.

Meanwhile, Mr. Eno continues to dip into his past, co-producing new albums by old friends U2 and U2-wannabes Coldplay (We kid because we love, dudes!). Who's left for this man to reconnect with? David Bowie, for one. The world must be ready for a second Berlin trilogy by now.