Review Summary: It’s more playful and bright than its more famous predecessor Big Science, and quite possibly even better.
Laurie Anderson is first and foremost a performance artist, so much so that her focus when writing music is typically based on whimsical narrative storytelling. Although she does sing at certain points, Anderson would clearly rather show you her thoughts through talking. These elements, along with an electronic pop backdrop, are entirely present on her 1984 sophomore album Mister Heartbreak.
Mister Heartbreak is the first of Anderson’s two “synclavier albums,” which was a trendy keyboard to use in the mid-80s, and it is featured on every track. This may give Mister Heartbreak a dated feeling, but in our current era of the 2010s, where a new “80s sounding” album is generally considered a good thing, this serves as a strength. The prominence of instruments including the violin, guitar, bass, and drums, however, still keep Mister Heartbreak from feeling too electronified, which is why the label “art pop” is considered to be a more accurate descriptor than “synth-pop” for the album. Album highlight “Blue Lagoon” really tows that line by having the synclavier so prominently in the forefront that it steals attention away for Anderson’s story -although in the best way possible by sounding like the lagoon’s croaking frogs. However, Anderson’s relationship with electronic music seems oddly distant and curious since every time she applies it, it comes across mostly as novelty rather than natural. While instrumentation as novelty may bother certain listeners, it ultimately adds to the picture that these songs are performative and best set to actors on a stage. There is no doubt that she would be incredibly fun to see live. This is also probably why a couple of the slower tracks in the first half feel a bit tiresome halfway through -since they fail to be nearly as performative.
Musicians Adrian Belew (guitar) and Peter Gabriel (vocals, keyboards) can be both heard on around half of the tracks and their presence only serves to improve the album. “Sharkey's Day” in particular features of some of Belew’s most bombastic guitar work. Anderson’s previous collaborator, author William S. Burroughs, also provides vocals and lyrics for the album’s closing track “Sharkey’s Night,” which serves well to end the album much like it began: with a tale about a naive and postulating man named Sharkey. Sharkey’s misunderstandings concerning both an airplane (in “Sharkey’s Day”) and the concept of mirror reflection (in “Sharkey’s Night,”) are endearingly funny.
Mister Heartbreak is catchier, more upbeat, and more direct than its acclaimed predecessor Big Science, but it still shares the same brand of insightful lyrics, playful scenarios, and performative qualities. In fact, the upbeat and poppy direction actually aids the performances better and allows it to be more expressive.
Album highlights: “Sharkey's Day,” “Excellent Birds,” “Blue Lagoon”
