Artist: TV On The Radio
Label: Touch and Go Records
Release: 2008
Length: 00:50:03
Rating: 3/5
Which do you like better: TV or radio? Or maybe TV on the Radio? The band, formed in New York in 2001, dropped their fourth studio album “Dear Science” in September. Experimental rock for everyone and anyone, and the American Billboard 200 chart backs that up. About three months after release, the record climbed to an enviable number twelve, which isn’t all that surprising, since five excellent multi-instrumentalists and all-round artists found their common groove. “Dear Science” is an eleven-track record, written mostly by producer and vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and guitarist, bassist and vocalist Kyp Malone.
TV on the Radio, considered one of New York’s more innovative bands, kick off the album with a “papapapa – papapa pa” song, “Halfway Home”. On first listen it’s nothing special. In fact, you’re even tempted to pull the CD out of the player right away. Why? Because this at times slightly depressing track, where flutist Martin Perna joins TVOTR, is nothing more than five minutes of moaning about finding yourself. A similar mood carries on into “Crying”. Only toward the end the rhythm gets livelier, especially when the saxophone (Stuart Bogie), trumpet (Eric Biondo), trombone (Aaron Johnson) and “shaker” (Yoshi Takamasa) kick in. “Dancing Shooes” is the polar opposite of the first two tracks. It starts off way bouncier, and soon your fingers start twitching. Two saxophonists add their bit, the previously mentioned Stuart Bogie and Colin Stetson. Next comes the melancholic “Stork & Owl”, just right for unwinding all your senses. The gentle sounds of violins (Janis Shen and Claudia Chopek), cello (Eleanor Norton) and viola (Lara Hicks), plus Tunde’s vocals, create a soothing atmosphere. I recommend listening after a rough day at work. The swing to the other extreme is felt on the instrumentally rich “Golden Age”, with almost a whole orchestra playing on this one: the aforementioned saxophonist Bogie, trumpeter Biondo, trombonist Johnsson, all four string players from the previous song, and Yoshi Takamasa, who this time grabbed the congas and bells. The track, which opens with a few reggae rhythms, is another one that would go in the “Soothing” category. Right at the halfway point of the album sits “Family Tree”, where TV on the Radio bring piano into a song for the first time. Even though the calmer rhythm continues through the rest of the album, “Red Dress” is a real gem, because it sounds way more… hmm, “disco”? Definitely livelier. “Love Dog” then takes us down familiar, though by no means identical, tracks, and it’s not exactly the right pick for setting a romantic mood. If the lyrics don’t do it, the “weird” frog croaking at the end of the song will. Another one of the highlights is “Shout Me Out”. Guitars strum quietly in the background in reggae rhythms, joined by Tunde’s clean, undistorted vocals and slightly religious lyrics. “Lord it`s you`ve got loss, Come on, shout me out”. “DLZ” and “Lover`s Day” take care of a louder finish. The latter is also the longest track on the record.
Adempe and the gang, along with the other musicians involved, have made an album where no two songs are alike. The rhythm ranges from the slightly depressing (“Halfway Home”) to the overly bouncy (“Red Dress”). Still, this record goes down nicely after a rough day.
Lineup
Tunde Adebimpe – vocals
Kyp Malone – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
David Andrew Sitek – programming, guitar, bass, keyboards
Gerard A. Smith – bass, organ, keyboards
Jallel Bunton – drums, guitar, keyboards, bass, programming
Production
David Andrew Sitek
Tracklist
1. Halfway Home
2. Crying
3. Dancing Choose
4. Stork & Owl
5. Golden Age
6. Family Tree
7. Red Dress
8. Love Dog
9. Shout Me Out
10. DLZ
11. Lover`s Day
