Louder: Talking Heads on ‘Stop Making Sense’

Plus: Olivia Rodrigo, Romy Madley Croft, Tyler Childers and more

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story September 9, 2023 By Caryn Ganz Pop Music Editor "Stop Making Sense" — refurbished, restored, refreshed! — is returning to theaters this month, and its accompanying live album is being rereleased with additional tracks. The director Jonathan Demme's concert film capturing Talking Heads on their 1983 tour has long been considered one of music's greatest docs. Before the band chats with Spike Lee at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, all four members talked with Jon Pareles, who explains how the tour (and the movie, which brought it wide) helped change the idea of what a pop concert could be. "Looking at my younger self is a really strange experience," David Byrne said. "He's doing things that are profoundly odd, but kind of inventive." Jerry Harrison told Jon he was disappointed the band left the road at a peak: "There also might be the element that once 'Stop Making Sense' came out so great, it was like, 'How do we top this? Is the next thing going to seem like a disappointment?' I don't know if that was what was going through anybody's minds, but I know that we ended up not touring ever again." Friday marked the arrival of Olivia Rodrigo's anticipated second album, "Guts," which Jon Caramanica named a Critic's Pick in a thoughtful review. Lindsay Zoladz looked at how seven of its tracks are in conversation with music from the past in an Amplifier newsletter that includes Billy Joel and Bikini Kill. And now that you have the album, I'd of course encourage everyone to revisit my profile of Rodrigo. A Popcast is incoming! Also this week: wonderful profiles of Romy Madley Croft and Tyler Childers; and the returns of the Folk Implosion, the A.I. song-crafter Ghostwriter and the Rolling Stones. via Rhino 'Stop Making Sense' Is Back, and Talking Heads Have More to Say The 40th-anniversary restoration of a great concert film is a funk spectacle. It has also united the band, which split in 1991, to discuss a landmark achievement. By Jon Pareles Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE CRITICS Chantal Anderson for The New York Times CRITIC'S PICK Olivia Rodrigo Has Seen the World Now, and She's Livid On her second album, "Guts," which flaunts rock brashness and singer-songwriter intimacy, the sudden pop star is showing just how fraught life is at the top. By Jon Caramanica Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images THE PLAYLIST The Rolling Stones Roar Back, and 13 More New Songs Hear tracks by Allison Russell, Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Ashley McBryde and others. By Jon Pareles, Giovanni Russonello and Lindsay Zoladz Charlie Riedel/Associated Press FALL PREVIEW 35 Pop and Jazz Albums, Shows and Festivals Coming This Fall Buzzy debuts (Chappell Roan, Evian Christ) and anticipated follow-ups (Jorja Smith, yeule) are due this season. THE AMPLIFIER NEWSLETTER A Deep Dive Into Olivia Rodrigo's Triumphant 'Guts' Hear songs from her new LP in conversation with ones from the past. 7 New Songs You Should Hear Now Listen to recent releases from Noname, Al Green, Sufjan Stevens and more. FEATURES Charlotte Hadden for The New York Times Romy Madley Croft Is (Finally) Dancing on Her Own The final member of the xx to release a solo album reveals her love of the pop club music of her teenage years, and her wife, on "Mid Air." By Foster Kamer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Stacy Kranitz for The New York Times Tyler Childers Puts His Own Spin on Heartfelt Rural Anthems The country musician has sung about racial violence and made a video depicting a queer love story. His new album, "Rustin' in the Rain," was inspired by his roots — and Elvis Presley. By Marissa R. Moss Michael Galinsky, via Domino Record Co. The Folk Implosion's Music From 'Kids' Is Returning. The Band Is, Too. Lou Barlow and John Davis made tracks for the 1995 cultural flashpoint. They split after a 1999 LP, but reunited during the pandemic, and made plans to release more songs. By Jeremy Gordon Patricia De Melo Moreira/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; Ethan Miller/Getty Images Ghostwriter Returns With an A.I. Travis Scott Song, and Industry Allies The anonymous artist, who stirred conversation with the A.I. track "Heart on My Sleeve," has been quietly consulting with executives, while also gunning for a Grammy. By Joe Coscarelli JAZZ CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK Terence Blanchard, Pushing Jazz Forward From a New Perch The trumpeter and composer follows the premiere of two Met operas with an appointment as executive artistic director of SFJazz in San Francisco and a Jazz Masters honor. By Giovanni Russonello 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Max Roach The drummer helped pioneer bebop in the 1940s and delivered a message of resistance and liberation from the 1960s on. Listen to 13 selections from musicians, writers and critics. By Marcus J. Moore CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK Jazz and Classical Met in the 1940s, and We're Still Catching Up A pair of new recordings bring holy grail artifacts by the composer-pianists James P. Johnson and Mary Lou Williams into the light. By Seth Colter Walls Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT POPCAST Popcast (Deluxe): 'Bottoms,' 'Hard Knocks' & Uncovering Rap History What we watched (and read!) this summer. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Speed Round, Part 2 A conversation about Swift's relationship to celebrity, the tour date as destination event and how fans dressed up for the show. JIMMY BUFFETT Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau, <br />via Associated Press AN APPRAISAL Jimmy Buffett Was More Than Beaches and Booze There was wistfulness behind party tunes like "Margaritaville." Buffett helped listeners feel like they'd earned the good times just by holding on. By Jon Pareles Anna Watts for The New York Times Margaritaville Aims to Hang On After Jimmy Buffett's Death The musician and his carefree vacation vibes inspired a business empire. Can it go on without its founder? By Jordyn Holman and Tiffany Hsu NEWS Rolling Stones Unveil 'Hackney Diamonds' in a Trendy London District Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood provided details about their first record of new material in 18 years, which will be released on Oct. 20. By Alex Marshall and Christopher Kuo Queen Lyrics and Freddie Mercury's Grand Piano Soar at Auction Sotheby's in London began selling about 1,400 items once owned by the charismatic lead singer, who was also a discriminating collector of woodblock prints and other Japanese art. By Scott Reyburn THE CHARTS Zach Bryan's Self-Titled Album Is His First No. 1 The singer-songwriter, whose music crosses genre borders, also has the first rock release to top the Billboard 200 in over a year. By Ben Sisario Zach Bryan Arrested After Interfering With Traffic Stop in Oklahoma "Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said," the singer-songwriter wrote on social media. By Ben Sisario Springsteen Postpones September Shows to Be Treated for Peptic Ulcer Disease Symptoms The 73-year-old singer's medical advisers made the decision to postpone the shows, according to the announcement. By Orlando Mayorquin Jimmy Buffett Died of Rare Form of Skin Cancer The singer's website said he had Merkel cell carcinoma for four years and died at his home on Long Island. By Ben Sisario Have You Seen Paul McCartney's Lost Bass Guitar? Tips Welcome. For decades, mystery has surrounded the fate of the missing bass that accompanied the Beatles as they rocketed to fame. A new campaign is trying to find it. By Isabella Kwai OBITUARIES Michael Ochs Archives, via Getty Images Gary Wright, Who Had a '70s Hit With 'Dream Weaver,' Dies at 80 He was a pioneer in using synthesizers, and his friendship with George Harrison led to a spiritual awakening that also influenced another hit, "Love Is Alive." By Alex Williams Steve Harwell, Voice of the Band Smash Mouth, Is Dead at 56 He was a founding member of the band, which broke out in the late 1990s with hit songs like "Walkin' on the Sun" and "All Star." By Claire Moses and Ben Sisario How Smash Mouth's 'All Star' Got a Second Wind From Memes The track, sung by Steve Harwell, took a winding path to evergreen status that illustrates how social media and fan-made content have transformed the music business. By Ben Sisario THE MAGAZINE AND THE SATURDAY PROFILE SCREENLAND How Pop Stars Turned NPR's 'Tiny Desk' Into Authenticity Theater The concerts have become an incongruous draw for pop stars with something to prove. By Adlan Jackson THE SATURDAY PROFILE From Rock Star to Bodyguard to Resisting Myanmar's Coup in Film Lynn Lynn was a musical idol when he volunteered in 2015 to protect the life of Myanmar's new civilian leader. Forced to flee after 2021's coup, he has reinvented himself as a film director. By Sui-Lee Wee Make a friend's day: Forward this email! Get this from a friend? Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter @nytimesmusic. Send your feedback on Louder at theplaylist@nytimes.com. 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