Here Lies Love
by David Byrne & Fatboy Slim
  • Record Label: Nonesuch
  • Release Date: Apr 6, 2010
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. AllMusic
    80
    And while the story hangs together quite well, the main impression you are left with is that Byrne and Slim have impeccable taste in female singers.
  2. PopMatters
    70
    That the result is largely "light" listening works against it to a degree, but the idea that such a sound was entirely Byrne's intent forgives even this. It's not often that a purely musical work can make us see a historical figure in a new light, but Here Lies Love is a fascinating exception.
  3. Q Magazine
    80
    Here Lies Love stacks up as an oddly entertaining, off-beat treat. [May 2010, p.126]
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  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Here, Byrne's well-plotted tunes can rule, and Norm can keep himself in the background, going against his natural tendency to overstuff.
  6. The A.V. Club
    83
    It's a conceptually fascinating piece, but does it groove? Mostly yes. Though nothing here sounds like a future club hit, and some tracks feel more essential to the album's narrative than others, Here Lies Love has more going for it than museum-piece fascination.
  7. Paste Magazine
    61
    With multiple narrators voiced by a plethora of singers, it's hard to follow which character is speaking at any given time. Extensive liner notes clear up the confusion, but it feels like a lot of work for an album that's not particularly revelatory in either music or story.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    While the relentlessly breezy vibe ?occasionally drifts into numbness, Marcos' story remains fascinating, especially as sung by the likes of Cyndi Lauper, St. Vincent, and Santigold.
  9. Boston Globe
    80
    Here Lies Love is a sumptuous two-disc feast of harmony, melody, and Latin-accented grooves that the Studio 54-loving Marcos herself would likely appreciate.
  10. The New York Times
    80
    Luckily, scholarship doesn't eclipse the limber, catchy music and the sheer nuttiness of the whole project.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    63
    On his collaboration with Fatboy Slim (a.k.a. Norman Cook) on the story of Imelda Marcos, Here Lies Love: A Song Cycle About Imelda Marcos & Estrella Cumpas, Byrne gets bogged down in the fertile ground of his boundless imagination.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. mianosm
    Feb 8, 2013
    10
    This is an oddity in my collection, having come upon it from exploring some of Fatboy Slims lesser albums and compilations. Most music used toThis is an oddity in my collection, having come upon it from exploring some of Fatboy Slims lesser albums and compilations. Most music used to be based on stories and musings, so this is a really interesting and refreshing piece. It might not be the thumpiest bass rattling album to pick, but it is an easy to listen to, very flowing and unique album to have among any collection.… Full Review »
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