Album: Dear Science
Artist: TV On The Radio
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Released: September 2008
Genre: Art Rock
TV On The Radio were one of my favourite bands in the middle part of the last decade. The first song of theirs I ever heard was Staring At The Sun off their 2004 LP, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. That fuzzy bass line, the post-punk guitar playing and Tunde Adebimpe's highly distinctive vocals all added up to something completely fresh and original. Dave Sitek was not just the guitar and keyboard player, but also the producer, and he was a key figure in the "Brooklyn scene", working with groups like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars. Their 2006 LP, Return To Cookie Mountain, was even stronger than their first, featuring great songs such as Wolf Like Me, but Dear Science was the point at which TVOTR really peaked. It's more expansive musically than earlier efforts and more accomplished, from the stately Family Tree to funkier songs like Dancing Choose. One of the record's highlights is Golden Age, a single released ahead of the album in summer 2008, which has an irresistible groove, really upbeat vocals from Kyp Malone and a swirling array of horns and strings that power the song along.
Another highlight on the record is opener Halfway Home, which is clearly heavily indebted to Prince, especially Adebimpe's soulful singing of the chorus. The upbeat sexiness of Lover's Day also bears the hallmark of Prince. The whole album is brilliant, flawless almost, but highlights for me are Crying, Family Tree and Shout Me Out (with its Dylan-like wordsmithery). This album also reminds me of my last live gig before children came into my life, largely putting paid to my enjoyment of live music. With my wife 6 months pregnant, we got stage-side seats at the Brixton Academy and the uniqueness of the situation and TVOTR's performance made it a very special experience. Here's what I wrote about it on the blog back in 2009: "My highlights of the set were Halfway Home, which changes tone in dramatic and majestic fashion and works wonderfully live, and Wolf Like Me, which gathers pace mixing soul and a steady beat, only to collapse into a languid middle section and then morph into a faster, more intense final act. Fabulous live song. Some of their catalogue didn't work so well on stage, but Golden Age and Staring At The Sun got a deservedly warm reception."
TV On The Radio were one of my favourite bands in the middle part of the last decade. The first song of theirs I ever heard was Staring At The Sun off their 2004 LP, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. That fuzzy bass line, the post-punk guitar playing and Tunde Adebimpe's highly distinctive vocals all added up to something completely fresh and original. Dave Sitek was not just the guitar and keyboard player, but also the producer, and he was a key figure in the "Brooklyn scene", working with groups like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars. Their 2006 LP, Return To Cookie Mountain, was even stronger than their first, featuring great songs such as Wolf Like Me, but Dear Science was the point at which TVOTR really peaked. It's more expansive musically than earlier efforts and more accomplished, from the stately Family Tree to funkier songs like Dancing Choose. One of the record's highlights is Golden Age, a single released ahead of the album in summer 2008, which has an irresistible groove, really upbeat vocals from Kyp Malone and a swirling array of horns and strings that power the song along.
Another highlight on the record is opener Halfway Home, which is clearly heavily indebted to Prince, especially Adebimpe's soulful singing of the chorus. The upbeat sexiness of Lover's Day also bears the hallmark of Prince. The whole album is brilliant, flawless almost, but highlights for me are Crying, Family Tree and Shout Me Out (with its Dylan-like wordsmithery). This album also reminds me of my last live gig before children came into my life, largely putting paid to my enjoyment of live music. With my wife 6 months pregnant, we got stage-side seats at the Brixton Academy and the uniqueness of the situation and TVOTR's performance made it a very special experience. Here's what I wrote about it on the blog back in 2009: "My highlights of the set were Halfway Home, which changes tone in dramatic and majestic fashion and works wonderfully live, and Wolf Like Me, which gathers pace mixing soul and a steady beat, only to collapse into a languid middle section and then morph into a faster, more intense final act. Fabulous live song. Some of their catalogue didn't work so well on stage, but Golden Age and Staring At The Sun got a deservedly warm reception."
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