Talking Heads

Organised around the artfully strained yelping of frontman David Byrne, and driven by some of the funkiest percussion and bass in leftfield rock, Talking Heads coalesced during their 11-year existence into one of the coolest and smartest bands on the planet. Commence with the unsettling yet danceable "Psycho Killer".

"The Big Country", from Talking Heads' second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food (produced by Brian Eno), cemented the reputation of singer David Byrne as an artist who looked at America with eccentric detachment. The later movie/album project True Stories further allied Byrne's observational skills to friendly pop hooks.

Talking Heads buried treasures include the early demo "Sugar on My Tongue" and "Lifetime Piling Up", a leftover track which was remixed to appear on their 1991 compilation album, Popular Favorites: Sand in the Vaseline. "No Compassion", from the band's debut album, Talking Heads: 77, is vintage Byrne: kooky, funky and more than a touch sinister.

Before breaking up in 1988, Talking Heads pulled off a neat trick — they convinced us to believe that great pop could be great art without disappearing too far up their own ambitions. They filled our minds with funky perspectives and ideas while shaking our bones with irresistible rhythms, and successfully crossed over into cinematic media with Stop Making Sense and True Stories, both of which engage the eyes and the ears. Brain food of the grooviest order.