The Talking Heads is a band that is pretty hard to categorize, partially because of the stylistic shifts they've seen over their career. They started in '74, so they're not really a "post-punk" band, since they were recording as punk was just starting to get a foothold. I've heard them called "new wave," although I don't altogether agree with that either, since new wave always implies to me glossed over production with shiny, danceable synth rhythms and strong pop sensiblities, which you don't really get on tracks like "Psycho Killer," which do have more of a Gang of Four punk-influenced feel to them. So, I'd say The Talking Heads were an art-punk/art-rock band that ultimately moved towards a more conventional pop-rock/new wave sound.
|