Combining the calm with the quirky, most of what follows seems derived from carnival carousel rides and nights at the opera.  Swaying rhythms unite with lush strings that create the ambiance of a dream that you simply do not want to wake up from.  Byrne takes the darker, more morbid sensibilities of an artist like Tom Waits and makes them light and amicable.  His eccentricity wins you over song after song.  Byrne strives for the extravagant and the minimalist, sometimes within the same measure.  "Empire" is akin to The Polyphonic Spree only with better lyrics that burst out like a mini-state of the union address.  Byrne passionately exclaims, "Voices like thunder/decisions like steel/the past and the future belong to us all."  Preachy?  Perhaps, but the haunting backdrop of cacophonous horns and gently picked guitar makes for a stimulating listen of the highest caliber.  The rapping bossa-nova beauty of "Tiny Apocalypse" showcases his nonconformity and how well is seethes with offbeat arpeggio.  However, my second favorite song of the year so far is "She Only Sleeps."  For some reason I could see Willy Wonka doing a cover of this particular track.  With shifting key signatures and endearing lyrics about putting up with the imperfections of a lover, this is pop music at its very best.  The song is simply just three minutes of pure jubilation that sums up the extraordinary, flamboyant flair of Byrne without ever calling attention to it or striving for a grandiose statement other than "This chick is cool, even if she crashes the car."  The same goes for "The Other Side Of This Live" which is as uniformly impressive as nearly every other track that follows. Even if the quirkiness is on overdrive, especially on the undersized nursery rhyme "Glad," it never once comes off as labored or pretentious.  The infectious boogie of the remixed closing track has never made indolence sound more productive and inviting, integrating violins with MIDI keys, disco bass, and staggering drum machines. 

Grown Backwards is truly a record that has everything for the adventurous listener.  At one point, Byrne announces "We have our own universe."  It's clear to see that Byrne resides comfortably inside his own galaxy, and makes each world his own without apology or in compliance with norms.  Byrne's wholly original creation is full of parading pirates, velvet curtains, and a whole plethora of imagination that may not be for everyone, but for those who enjoy the weird, whimsical nature of Sir David, then this record deserves to be heard to be believed.