‘Eyeball’s’ Eclectic View of Pop

The former Talking Head isn’t the commercial force he once was, not after a solo career of whims and wild experiments, from Brazilian pop to symphonic instrumentals. That’s his way. But like 1997’s sadly overlooked “Feelings,” “Eyeball” (in stores Tuesday) returns to pop territory-- on Byrne’s own terms. He goes troppo again on “Desconocido,” finding the right groove with Cafe Tacuba’s NRU. And as in much of his solo work, Byrne is less the agitated everyman than the omniscient observer of modern manners, singing across warm, funky rhythms and a sound that grateful Talking Heads fans should recognize.

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