Without going into too much further detail, songs were crafted around a certain musical motif (which varied from drum beats to guitar licks) where the rest of the band would simply expand on each song's "motif." The result is an album with undeniable groove, catchy choruses, and artsy bits: a mixture with massively broad appeal.
Byrne's just finished collaboration with Brian Eno, a groundbreaking experiment in sampling titled My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, influenced the group to use a similar method.
Byrne describes the creation of Remain in Light as a sort of contrast to what went into TH's previous albums (first and formost, the band started with a completely blank slate). If there's one thing David Byrne's recent outing as long-form non-fiction writer, How Music Works (looks at the societal, cultural, and business aspects of the creative process written for the layman and, though I'm only about halfway through, highly recommended), accomplishes, it's a startling good advertisement for his music, particularly his tenure as co-founder of the Talking Heads. Norwegian Arms - Wolf Like a Stray Dog (2013).V/A - Living Is Hard: West African Music In Britai.Lil Ugly Mane - Mista Thug Isolation (2012).