The following is a list of the ten albums that I feel, are the best releases in the last 10 years.  None of the decisions were made based on critical acclaim but merely on what I think are the most progressive and meaningful albums from 2000 to the present.  Every band is trying to do something different with their music and the following are examples of success in that goal.  Every one of these has a quality or style that is purely unique and influential.

10: TV On The Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain (2006 – 4AD, Interscope)

While Return to Cookie Mountain is not the most recent release by the band it is certainly the most notable.  On this album billows of drum and guitar sound accompany a very vocal-based album that is melodic and sing-able at times and merely a wall of sound at others.  The band, which operates out of Brooklyn, has created a name for itself in its unique genre-less compositions similar only to that of Radiohead and top 40 radio in Mars.

Notable tracks:

03. Province (this track features David Bowie on backing vocals)

06. A Method

9: Akron/Family – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free (2009 – Dead Oceans)

While everything on the album is recognizably Akron/Family, the album spans genres inexplicably.  Starting in a bit of a dirty blues-rock feel and moving through electronic tracks and folk concoctions, the band even hits on some borderline scream punk just to say they did it.  Often, transitions between acoustic and more electronically derived tracks are rough and uncomfortable but this Frankenstein of an album dances gracefully the entire time.  The band, from New York City, remains relatively undiscovered but they ought to be.  Akron/Family has a lot to add to the musical scene and effectively captures the style that many bands strive for.

Notable tracks:

01. Everyone Is Guilty

03. Creatures

07. Many Ghosts

8: The xx – xx (2009 – Young Turks)

The xx is amazingly simple but still a sound that’s very rarely made.  The London quartet functions with two vocalists in what seems like a dialogue relationship.  Overall, nearly every song has a calm intensity to it that satisfies repeatedly.  xx is greatly successful for the group’s first release so releases in the future will surely be under radar.

Notable Tracks:

03. Crystalized

07. Shelter

7: The Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004 – Merge)

I don’t know what to call The Arcade Fire’s but after I saw a concert on the Neon Bible Tour I was convinced that they were the house band from Eli Sunday’s church in There Will Be Blood. Apparently, living in Haiti leaves you pretty oblivious to American culture and the way music is being made over here because The Arcade Fire has created in Funeral an experience that is completely different than anything…ever.  There is a very eerie vibe surrounding the album and a deep emotion that lies within it.

Notable Tracks:

04. Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)

06. Crown of Love

07. Wake Up

6: Why? – Alopecia (2008 – Anticon)

Lead singer Yoni Wolf’s music is disturbingly honest but for some strange reason that is what keeps you coming back for more. Alopecia says everything you’ve wanted to say but haven’t had the guts.  It’s Jewish hip-hop that in all the ways Matisyahu is not.  Whereas most hip-hop is about the ego, Alopecia is about life.  These are stories of bad decisions, failures, and missed opportunities and they are all presented in very honest and effective ways.

Notable Tracks:

02. Good Friday

08. The Fall of Mr. Fifths

10. A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under

5: The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (2009 – Capitol)

With the bands fifth release, The Decemberists delve even deeper into the story-telling style that they are known for.  On this album every track flows seamlessly to the other and themes come and go throughout the duration of the album representing the stories that are interwoven inside it.  The band draws on its resources for The Hazards of Love as Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Becky Starke of Lavender Diamond, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket are all brought in to play various characters in the stories and provide vocals for the album.  The Hazards of Love is a seamless blend of music steeped in an ancient troubadour tradition and converted by modern themes and musical styles into what can best be described as a musical.

Notable Tracks:

03. A Bower Scene

08. The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid

10. The Rake’s Song

4: Architecture in Helsinki – Places Like This (2007 – Polyvinyl)

This album is beautifully fucking crazy.  Enough said.

Notable Tracks:

02. Heart It Races

03. Hold Music

08. Lazy (Lazy)

3: Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake Its Morning (2005 – Saddle Creek)

When Conor Oberst double released Digital Ash In A Digital Urn and I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning in 2005 he had officially divided his music in two.  Previous albums, which had mixed darker and more electronically-derived tracks like “Lover I Don’t Have to Love” with folk tunes like “Bowl of Oranges” had given birth to both a pair of very different-looking twins.  While Digital Ash was ill-recieved, I’m Wide Awake its Morning broke into an entirely different well of musical possibilities.  Not only did this album influence every Bright Eyes release since, it also spawned tons of followers in what is now “indie-folk”. Conor Oberst is the Bob Dylan of his time.

Notable Tracks:

04. Lua

06. First Day of My Life

10. Road To Joy

2: Radiohead – Kid A (2000 – Parlophone, Capitol)

Kid A marks the transformation of Radiohead from a band to a soulless fucking robot.  Fortunately it is the soulless fucking robot that people prefer.  Its amazing that an album as experimental as this one achieved as much success as it did but even though Kid A debuted without a single or music video, it was able to draw itself enough attention to go platinum in a week.  You know the rest.

Notable Tracks:

01. Everything In Its Right Place

03. The National Anthem

08. Idiotheque

1: Department of Eagles – In Ear Park (2008 – 4AD)

You may not have expected this one but I have a strong faith that, although very undiscovered In Ear Park is the greatest album that has been released all decade.  There is a huge difference between bands that record songs and bands that record art.  In Ear Park is not about chords and progressions but about what the music does when it gets inside your head.  While Department of Eagles consists of just Daniel Rossen (also known for work in the band Grizzly Bear) and Fred Nicolaus, this particular album was scored on a huge scale.  Starting out from the very beginning with a pretty simple guitar melody the album soon erupts into a very symphonic experience that will make your hairs stand on end.

Notable Tracks:

01. In Ear Park

03. Phantom Other

07. Classical Records

A month-long gap is inexcusable of course. Anyway, my excuses are holiday, seasonal lack of exciting releases and a nagging sense I should be searching for a new job. I have your sympathy now, don’t I?

This is a single from a couple of months back, from an album about 10 months back. Topical. It’s the only obviously Princey song from TV On The Radio’s reputedly very Princey Dear Science, funking along with a guitar riff that could cut your hair. Still, while the album might not be massively Minneapolitan, it’s completely bloody amazing and the global critical consensus says, “Here, here.” Everyone’s jumped on board now, possibly because it’s the most accessible thing TVOTR have done; there’s a sense of relief they’ve shipped out challenging for tuneful, but even though the sound was murkier on Return To Cookie Mountain, it was really no less melodic. You just had to try a little harder. Maybe no one wants to try a little harder.

We didn’t try all that hard here, mind. No chance Junior could keep still in the car seat as TVOTR hit their groove, but we reserved our critical faculties for Kyp Malone’s name. Surely no one’s called Kyp? “Harvey at nursery’s middle name is Kyp.” I’ll take her at her word.

Smoke me a Kyp:

Aquí otros dibujitos, la verdad me gusta encontrarme estas cosas que hice en algún momento del día en algún momento de mi vida, mientras escuchaba música. Si los dibujos no les dicen nada, o están feos… la intención es que se queden con la recomendación musical.

Y bueno… estos son sobre la canción “Furr” de Blitzen Trapper. La canción que le da nombre a la producción es el tercer track y narra la historia de un hombre que buscando las voces de los fantasmas en el bosque se convierte en lobo y se une al canto de una jauría.

“Furr”

Blitzen Trapper

Furr

Sub Pop Records

La otra canción sobre lobos a la que le hice un mini-dibujito parecido a los de arriba, es “Wolf Like Me” de TV on The Radio.

“Wolf Like Me”

TV On The Radio

Return To Cookie Mountain

*Las canciones sobre lobitos son todas dedicadas a A.I.R., un lobito.

Dear Science - 2008

TV on the Radio is another band which was introduced to me by a friend (the same one who recommended Amadou & Mariam) a couple of years ago.  He gave us copies of both Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes and Return to Cookie Mountain at the same time, and pretty much immediately, I grew a huge admiration for this band.  TV on the Radio are bold, daring, and unique.  They create such a drastically different sound from what most people hear – commanding and distinctive layered vocals, complex arrangements incorporating numerous musical influences, styles, and instruments, thoughtful lyrics, and haunting rhythms and beats – that it can naturally take a while to appreciate.  Even if that’s the case, there’s absolutely no doubting the band’s immense talent, attention to detail, and many times, just sheer brilliance.

Dear Science is actually a good place to start, as it’s their most accessible album by a long shot.  But it’s also just as great as their other albums, and by some standards, arguably better.  The tracks here are more polished and not quite as long as some of their earlier work, and there’s the addition of even a few more influences on this album: namely funk and dance.

The first song, “Halfway Home”, is a sprawling scenic track punctuated by Tunde Adepimbe’s powerful falsetto.  It sounds like the fully-realized grandeur that Bloc Party has been trying to achieve for years now.  The first place where TV on the Radio’s new influences are perfectly noticeable is on the next track, “Crying”.  “Crying” features razor-sharp, scathing lyrics set against jaunty dance-inspired music that, along with Kyp Malone’s clear falsetto chorus, makes it seem hopeful instead of condemning.  “Golden Age” is another; it’s funky and danceable with a plainly optimistic chorus, and also “Family Tree”, which twinkles through a cloudy haze like a Flaming Lips song.

Dear Science also has quieter moments.  “Stork & Owl” and “Love Dog” are both tenderly sung and soulful, accented by understated musical tracks.  Even during its more emotional and restrained tracks, TV on the Radio fills every bit of space with sonic sounds.  There’s basically no silence on this record; no pauses.  Every loop, synth, and nearly imperceptible noise adds to the mood they try to create with each song.

Other tracks worth mentioning are, “Dancing Choose”, a creative endeavor with rapid-fire, spoken word verses, horns, and layered vocals in the chorus (not to mention astonishingly well-written lyrics), plus “Red Dress”, a heavy, musically intricate collaboration with Antibalas that might be the best track on Dear Science.

TV on the Radio are one of the most inventive and innovative bands you’re going find right now and Dear Science was, without question, one of the best albums to come out last year.  For a band that started out so assuredly, TV on the Radio seem certain to make a mark on the musical landscape.

Have you noticed that we’re a little partial to NPR Music around these parts?

One of the things I like most about the various programming available on the site is that the extended features allow for an actual audio introduction to bands that may not be in heavy rotation on your local radio dial.

This week’s lineup includes a great World Cafe session featuring the critically acclaimed TV On The Radio.  Hopefully, you have been exposed to their music previously. 

If not, perhaps you have seen writeups of their last two albums, Return To Cookie Mountain and Dear Science, each of which topped numerous polls as the best albums of 2006 & 2008, respectively.

TV On The Radio

Carve out some time to check these guys out.  The half-hour interview includes great live versions of four songs off the new album.  If you like what you hear, be sure to click over to Pollstar to see if they are coming to your town this spring.

And don’t forget about our favorite “radio on the TV” page.  You never know when TV On The Radio will pop up there too.

Dan: Earlier, in our February Checkout post, I mentioned that I had added TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain to my collection, and that generally, I was a fan of it. I even claimed ‘Wolf Like Me’ was one of my favourite tracks of the month. But what I didn’t say was how much time I spent listening to Dear Science. Having bought it in January, it was not eligible for discussion in a post about new additions in February, and so I left it. But I can’t not talk about it any longer. I was disappointed by 2008’s musical offerings, as most albums seemed to be rubbish (Supergrass’ Diamond Hoo Ha being notably bad) or average at best. There were a few exceptions, including Laura Marling’s debut, Alas, I Cannot Swim; and Neon Neon’s bizarre concept album about John DeLorean, Stainless Style. Both those albums are brilliant, and shared my choice of best album of the year. Until Dear Science got its first play.

The CD front cover

From the first second of the first song, you can tell the album has an intense power. It starts with more energy than most other albums can muster in their highest crescendos, and it only increases from there. With ‘Halfway Home’, the album’s opening track, a sense of potential works as the undercurrent to an already raucous beat. You expect it to burst into a manic chorus at any time, but instead it keeps going and going, until right at the end it explodes into a marvellous combination of all the sounds you’ve just heard. It’s truly incredible to hear, and you’re only 5 and a half minutes in.

‘Crying’ follows in the same suit, exuding an angry air of political defiance while keeping itself restrained for the most part, before unleashing an attack of music towards the end. Before you can breathe, ‘Dancing Choose’ chants an angry “He’s a what? He’s a what? he’s a newspaper man!’, and goes on to describe the life of a Patrick Bateman character. The music calms down a little for ‘The Stork And The Owl’, but the lyrics and vocals all still emit a terrific sense of furious despair. This continues through the album, exploding through ‘Golden Age’, and then sliding across the second half of the album before attacking ex-President Bush on the penultimate track for his lack of morals and terrible decisions. The last song, ‘Lover’s Day’ is still full of anger, but shifts the focus from politics to sex, which brings a reconciliatory climax to the record in every sense.

The vocals are perfectly matched for the lyrics, with inflections and emphasis placed perfectly for every word, thought and meaning. It all synchronises perfectly with the music as well. And it’s this that really pushes the album forward from intelligent insight into psychological, musical greatness. The music on every track seems to be the aural equivalent of the subconscious thought processes surrounding the big, thematic ideas described in the lyrics. The talent and skill here is almost off the chart. It’s easy to see why David Bowie’s been championing them for so long. On some of the tracks here, it’s almost as if you’re listening to a group of Bowies. Inventive and innovative, the style of music has a grandeur and it sounds like it really shouldn’t work, but it does, and it excels because of it.

The tracklisting, as seen on the back of the CD case

It’s hard to pick out any tracks as being the best, as they all sound different from the one that preceded it. The fact that it still flows and works relies on the style and enthusiasm TV On The Radio inject into every second of the album. Nevertheless, I shall put forward ‘Golden Age’ as a standout track, as it was the one that made me buy the album in the first place. It’s accessible and a good indicator of the kind of music to be found on the rest of the album. Unfortunately, I can’t find a video that works in the UK, so all I can offer is this link to their website, where you listen to a stream of it, along with ‘Dancing Choose’, their second single, and another great track.

Another awe inspiring song is ‘Family Tree’, which is a softer interlude in the middle of the album. The subject matter and vocals go hand in hand as they do with every track on Dear Science, but this one always makes my spine shiver. The problem I have here is that every time I point at a track and say “That’s amazing”, I instantly feel as if I’m being harsh on the rest of the album, because they’re all just as great.

And as if the quality of the music wasn’t enough reason to go and buy the album, they’ve designed some of the best looking sleevenotes I’ve seen in ages. On one side, all the lyrics are written out as a letter to “Dear Science,” and on the reverse, the credits are hand-written. I know that doesn’t sound very impressive, but it looks like an old letter someone found in stashed in some archives from a hundred years ago, with smudged writing, stains, fake tears and an aged-colour to it. The typewriter font helps the illusion as well. Overall, it probably isn’t as astounding as I think it is, but it’s the uniqueness and attention to detail that makes me love it so much. It’s another victory for albums as a physical musical package over the transient download versions of most albums in this lazy, digital age. I have uploaded photos of the front and the back of the inlay for you, but be warned: they’re massive images, so make sure you’ve got some decent bandwidth behind you first.

So, if you’re one of the few that hasn’t bought this album after the plethora of positive reviews and highlights on end-of-year lists that appear everywhere, I heartily recommend you go and do so. It’s only £5 in HMV or on Amazon [UK links], and the album works so marvellously as a whole that any individual tracks I can give you will barely scrape the surface of Dear Science’s ingenuity and brilliance. Nevertheless, if you’re still not convinced, here’s one final argument.

]]> http://fromherewegosublime.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/tv-on-the-radio-return-to-cookie-mountain/ Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:03:07 +0000 fromherewegosublime http://fromherewegosublime.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/tv-on-the-radio-return-to-cookie-mountain/

On Return to Cookie Mountain, David frickin’ Bowie is relegated to the role of back-up singer and there is absolutely no outrage to be found. When the main focus is the pulchritudinous combination of Tunde Adebimpe’s tortured lyrics, Kyp Malone’s undying coo and David Sitek’s layers of intricate production, well, Jesus H. Christ would probably be playing the tambourine. The tenderness of “Dirty Whirl”, the raucous fun of “Wolf Like Me” and the stunted dirty beauty of “I Was a Lover” are brief and varied glimpses into what makes TV on the Radio the best band in the world – URB magazine

One of my favorite albums of all time. Nobody is doing what these guys are doing.

[There's often more behind the discovery of an album than just the music. Here's S. Ziggy Zagami's review of TV on the Radio's "Return to Cookie Mountain” & “Dear Science”. If you would like to share your One album - One story, we'd love to post it.]

TV On The Radio are a five piece band from Brooklyn, NY created by multi-instrumentalist David Andrew Sitek and vocalist Tunde Adebimpe. Their music is a melting pot of styles like their city of origin. What I love most about their style is that it’s all over the place. They never deliver the same thing twice – their truly original and intrinsically modern touch is quite a feat to pull-off in a time when music is so old you can’t help finding a lot of new music to be a rehash of something gone before.

So it is with great shame that what prompted me to really listen to TVotR was one of the most average and rehashed movies I have seen of late, “Never Back Down”. My insatiable appetite had led me to consume pretty much every new released film at the DVD library, and in my apprehension to really search through the rest of the stores catalog, I just picked up “Never Back Down” – a modern remake of the “Karate Kid” but with a modern take.

Now I went to film school, and at times I can be critical, but in other ways I have never really seen a film that I couldn’t sit through, I have never walked out on a film, and if you asked me what I thought of a particular movie I would probably just probably tell you it was “good”. But I am just giving you the excuses as to why I sometimes watch crap. I know its crap and I just submit to it, sometimes you just need that escape.

So in the obligatory training montage, my ears pricked up as I heard the low-fi fuzz sounds of this intense but ultimately fun grooving rock song. It was
“Wolf Like Me”

But I was instantaneously obsessed with this song and this sound as it consumed my entire being. I’d listen to it repeatedly on Youtube. I asked a friend of mine about TVotR, because on music he can be as informative as Wikipedia but with an opinion. And of course he knew this band and liked them and played me his favorite track right then and there – it was
“Staring at the Sun”

Well off I went to HMV to buy “Return to Cookie Mountain”. Now I don’t know if this is a done thing here or if it’s just my imagination but every time there seems to be a new release of a album or a book, the stores tend to remove the artist’s entire back-log and only display 50 or more copies of the new release. No matter where I went all I could find was “Dear Science”. So I just bought that one and I have got to say that the first time I played it I was disappointed, the album didn’t sound like “Wolf Like Me”.

“Dear Science”

But I soon fell in love with “Dear Science”. While it was a slightly different sound from “Return To Cookie Mountain”, it is not a complete departure. It’s just different like ordering beef, and getting chicken or something.
“Dancing Choose”

Their big tune
“Golden Age”

Another notable track on the album in their up-tempo repertoire is
“Crying”

I also like
“Shout Me Out”

The next track on the album is another TVotR classic
“DLZ”

“Return To Cookie Mountain”

I’m the sort of person that after a few listens embraces the whole album, always capable of finding something worth-while in every song. So it wasn’t surprising that when I saw “Return to Cookie Mountain” return to the shelves, I bought it, hungry for more TVotR. But when I first listened to the album I was again in a state of disappointment. Yeah this album had “Wolf Like Me” not to mention
“Province”

But I felt the rest of the album was a bit lackluster. Probably because I was looking to be amped up with the intensity I found on “Wolf Like Me”. However, this album is more atmospheric and introverted. Soon enough though the more I listened to it the more I adapted to its mellowness. Or maybe it was just right for my mood as I started to wallow in depression. I often wonder if I listen to music that reflects my mood or if my mood starts to reflect the music that I listen to.

Anyway I really like the way this album opens.
“I Was A Lover”

There is also
“Hours”

Though for all its softer points this album is still full of solid rock and I love the bounciness of vocals and music alike on tracks like
“Dirtywhirl”

I thoroughly recommend giving both of these albums a try, who knows, you might find something that you like. I found in the end that they are not too dissimilar, and that there are tracks from both that could be on the same album. The evolution of TVotR is only going to continue, so keep a watch out for them because even though “Dear Science” was at the top of the heap in ’08 they may soon be dominating in years to come.

I purchased the version of TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain that includes two bonus songs, a remix of “Hours,” and an untitled track of studio noise—-a hefty backload added to an already full album. During the first listen, I was exhausted by their ideas. On the second try, though, I gave it a complete listen from track one to the original, remixless end. I found that the band isn’t built for MTV videos or Madden soundtracks. The songs lack definite hooks or catchy choruses. Instead, TV on the Radio crafts an album of emotional power, rewarding those who listen with an abstract ear.
The record appropriately begins with a queasy track. Tunde Adebimpe, TV on the Radio’s vocalist, holding up in a luxury suite, explores broken relationship amongst grieving horns and stumbling bass beats. He could be crying for lost love or a broken government or whatever else is going wrong. TVONTR leaves “I Was a Lover” open to interpretation, and that’s why I keep coming back. By not specifying the concrete setting, the song can have a different meaning depending on the time.
“Province” is an anthem for those with claim to be anti-anthem: “Hold these hearts courageously \ as we walk into this dark place\ Stand, stare fast beside me \ and see that love \ is the province of the brave.” Swooning notes that challenge his vocal range, TV relishes in uncomfortable—and quite brave—mixtures; they fail to fit one single genre. David Andrew Sitek, producer and multi-instrumentalist, incorporates jazz, funk, arena rock, dance, art-rock—David Bowie couldn’t resist singing back-up vocals for this melting pot. Return has patterns but doesn’t stick to one specific style.
But the record’s downfall and glory is how much it spans. For example, “Let the Devil In” sounds like an inside joke—the listener is on the outside–with its cluttered vocals. Yet “Tonight”, releases tension with siren-like guitar, a saxophone interlude and carefree whistling. In “A Method”, Adebimpe, to the beat of a military snare drum, explains their incongruence: “There is hardly a method you know.”
Perhaps that’s what is beautiful about Return to Cookie Mountain. TV on the Radio lacks mainstream appeal because they craft a heavy emotional experience—a mix of sorrow, hesitance, dread, and excitement—that the airwaves couldn’t handle. The record portrays the real thing, the human personality, and a 3-minute radio-friendly song doesn’t do that justice. If more bands follow TV on the Radio in crafting music out of their own personality, the possibilities for sound are unlimited.

2008 is almost gone as the New Year will arrive in a matter of hours (or it may have already arrived depending on when you read this). So, in anticipation for the number of times I’ll forget to put “2009″ on whatever documents need a proper year, here’s a little listing of 9 things I’ll be looking forward to in the next year…

9. Surprises

I suppose this is something resembling a cop-out in a list, but part of looking forward to the many things that will color our near-future is not knowing what will come next. Some of my favorite things from 2008 I never saw coming, anticipated, or was given any knowledge to anticipate at all. That includes things such as the release of TV On The Radio’s Dear Science, – which was a surprise simply because it was announced less than two months prior to its release so there was not any forewarning or buildup like with Return to Cookie Mountain – to movies such as The Wackness (a great summer coming-of-age movie that could have easily been a bust) and books I’ll pick up randomly, sunny days outdoors… by definition, anything really. Now how can you go wrong there?

8. New Food For Animals LP

Food For Animals – You Right (live in Baltimore)

You read it here folks, from the mouth of the animals themselves. Food For Animals will be dropping a new album in the next year, and if Belly is any indication, it should be one hell of a package. No info or sounds on what the trio of hip-hop noiseniks are cooking up, but in the last year since Belly was released they’ve certainly mastered their live set, and if the mixes posted on their blog offer any indication, they’ve got some great stuff coming around the corner.

7. Say Anything – Say Anything

Say Anything – Woe (live, acoustic)

I’ve been a Say Anything believer since stumbling upon …is a Real Boy in 2004. I’d found so few records that made such honest, emotionally compelling, and furiously anthemic when I picked up the album, and it remains a favorite of mine. The reason this isn’t ranked higher is because the long-awaited follow-up, In Defense of the Genre, was a bit of a disappointment (but really, it must’ve been rough following up that brilliant first record). Still, there were bright spots in that massive double album, and Max Bemis no doubt has set his goals high for a record he has said will discuss the nuances of every day life. Let’s see how people will respond to emo that strives to be simply normal.

6. Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back by Christopher R. Weingarten for 33 1/3

Public Enemy – Bring The Noise (live, Pitchfork Music Festival)

Here’s the math equation: Take one of hip-hop’s best albums done by one of the genre’s best bands, add in the former drummer for one of the best experimental rock outfits today, and multiply it by a publishing company that lets music obsessives run wild. What do you get? It looks like what may be one of the best books in the 33 1/3 book series. According to a certain schedule, Continuum should be releasing the book on It Takes A Nation of Millions… at some point this year, a read which should be wonderful in and of itself. Add in the fact that its written by Christopher R. Weingarten, the former kit-smasher for Parts & Labor who left the band to pursue a career in journalism and to write the Public Enemy book, and you’ve got an equation for what should be a success for Continuum and readers alike.

5. Jimmy Eat World Clarity Tour

Jimmy Eat World – Lucky Denver Mint

This is an emo/Jimmy Eat World/music fan’s wet dream. Celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the little-album-that-record-executives-thought-it-couldn’t-but-did, Jimmy Eat World will triumphantly play Clarity in its entirety for an American tour starting in February. Whether or not the performance will live up to some people’s expectations is one thing; the fact that Jimmy Eat World are touring this record is an entirely different aspect which meets any and all expectations. This is the album that by all intents and purposes was something of a failure; if Jimmy Eat World were to tour one record, it would probably be their critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful self-titled album. However, Clarity remains a fan favorite, and after the many years and stories surrounding the band and that album, J.E.W. are showing what really matters to them: the fans. It should be a fantastic set, simply by the band showing up.

4. The Road Movie

Still from The Road

I read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road this past summer, a little while after it won piles of awards and recognition and a little while before the movie’s release. Turns out it was a little more than a little while before the film came out, as it was unfortunately delayed from its 2008 release. The book sent me into something of a shock after a quick gust through it in a matter of days. The transfer from the page to the screen is usually very tenuous, but McCarthy’s words have a very visual style that will no doubt aid the story’s sense of reality in a post-apocalyptic world. And noting the folks in front of and behind the camera for the movie, this may be on of the best to come out of 2009.

3. Dan Deacon – Bromst

Dan Deacon – Crystal Cat

Dan Deacon may have unintentionally thrust himself into the limelight with 2007’s Spiderman of the Rings, but the man wasn’t unconscious of the world around him as it happened. Deacon has made a concerted effort to experiment in all forms of his life as long as he has everyone’s undivided attention and support (and he probably would if they didn’t). That means crazy local festivals, crazy town-sized tours, crazy kiddie-electronic-cum-rave songs that stick in your brain like putty. And with Bromst, an album that was meant to be released this year but has since been delayed until March, Deacon doesn’t seem to quit. No matter how the record will be received, it will physically (or at least sonically) be received, a testament to his enduring ability to test his own musical will and conceptual might. It should be quite a listen.

2. Watchmen Movie

Watchmen Trailer 2

Why question this? Again, like most of the things on this list, simply existing will make Watchmen memorable. As a movie, who knows whether the thumb of the public will go up or down (or better yet, that of the comic’s cult fan base). But, barring the recent legal activity surrounding the film and its impending release, as long as the movie hits theaters it will be a success. Not only commercially, but for the comic book movie genre and for struggling screenplays everywhere (this film has been in talks for since the original graphic novel first hit stands). And it looks so damn pretty.

1. Inauguration

Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech

No matter what your political beliefs are, this will be a massive event. “Historic” to a pin. I’ll be there, amongst however many millions of people that are expected to show up and see Barack Obama sworn in as the President of the United States. Just typing that is getting me excited for the new year.

Happy New Year!

TV on the Radio.

I usually ignore Pitchfork’s reviews. Maybe it’s a case of the hipster hating on the hipster. But, I feel like they try too hard to be on the cutting edge of music and are more concerned with crafting clever metaphors than with reviewing an album. That said, even I must admit, they were right on with their Dear Science review.  I’ve been listening to TV on the Radio all weekend long, and Dear Science, is well deserving of the 9.2 it got from Pitchfork.  It’s been a long while since I’ve heard a completely original band. And nobody can accuse these guys of being just another faceless band trying to break onto the scene. They’re fearless when it comes to sonic experimentation, blending a huge range of styles into their own unique sound. Plus they’ve been doing since 2001. 

I know, I’m kinda late to the TV on the Radio party. But if you haven’t heard them yet, go buy Dear Science now. It’s a great album. Be sure to check out Return to Cookie Mountain and some of their earlier work as well. Below is DLZ, my favorite song off Dear Science.

Spin Magazine has named TV On The Radio’s latest effort Dear Science as the 2008 Album of the Year.  This is the second time TVOTR has received this accolade in the last three years—their prior album, Return To Cookie Mountain, was named for 2006.  Dear Science is an incredible album and it shows how there are no limits to the sound of TVOTR.  If  you haven’t heard their impossible to classify sound, you’re sleeping.  Suck it, Coldplay; this is the greatest band in the world.  If ya don’t know, now ya know.

What? Me, get sidetracked? Me, forget about my own blog? Yeah, well, yo mama’s so forgetful, she…well, I’m bad at coming up with those jokes.  Anyway, the point is, I’m a little mad at myself for my being lax with this blog, and I think I’ll be doing more of it from now on.  The obvious choice for the beginning of my revival is the new album by my boys, TV On The Radio.  Their birthday present to me (hey, it did come out the right week) was at first titled Dear Science,, but they did drop their comma, apparently because it complicated sentences like this.  But after Dear Science, I’m not quite sure what to review.  I’m positive I’m going to have one more review out of stuff I watched/listened to over fall break, which I spent in absentia in Dallas, but I’m not sure what it should be.  Should I find some new music to review that I’ve been getting into, like London Zoo by the Bug or Los Angeles by Flying Lotus, or should I review one of the movies I saw (Choke or W.), or something else?  I’m going to use the poll feature that I just discovered to see if I can leave it up to you yabbos, as Menick would say.

Dear Science may wind up as my favorite album of the year, and even so it’s a little disappointing.  That’s just a function of the ludicrous expectations an album like Return to Cookie Mountain creates, especially when it’s just the second album by a band, especially a dynamic band like TV On The Radio.  I think that a lot of die-hard fans like myself have reacted like myself – initial shock and ambivalence, followed by a gradual warming.  This is not an album like TV’s first two, but then, Return to Cookie Mountain wasn’t like Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes either.  The third album by any band gives you a sense of what they’ll be in the future, and TV On The Radio have told us here that they’re going to keep changing and keep surprising.  Thank fucking god.

Dear Science is not really a rock album.  Not at all.  The closest genre I can pin it on is funk, but only because it’s so funky.  It’s not really funk either, more like where funk wants to be in 20 years (maybe post-funk? Yeah, I like that).  But this album isn’t so uniform, so I think I’m just going to go track-by-track, like a real fanboy.

1. “Halfway Home” – Damn catchy, the most memorable song of the bunch (though not really the best).  The beat is almost as propulsive as “Wolf Like Me,” but the vocals keep it more snakelike and soulful as opposed to charging like its predecessor.
2. “Crying” – One of my three favorites on the album.  I like the little tight guitar figure, something that we really haven’t heard from TVOTR much.  This is the closest to funk or soul that they get throughout the album, and I think it really colors the rest of the whole piece.  Kyp Malone establishes himself here as on almost equal footing with Tunde Adebimpe as a singer, and he sings just about the same amount on this album.  Their voices are subtly different, Malone’s a bit more versatile, Adebimpe’s a bit stronger.  He sings all three of my favorite songs on this album, but that’s not Tunde’s fault.  By now though, we know that Kyp’s a better songwriter.
3. “Dancing Choose” – Okay, Tunde raps here.  That’s cool enough.  But if you need more, a) he can really do it, b) his lyrics are really clever, c) the chorus is really catchy, and d) like on nearly every track, the horn section is badass.  There.
4. “Stork & Owl” – Least memorable track on the album.  Kyp Malone does some great work with vocals, and the production is all there and cool, but something doesn’t mesh with me.  I think this is what separates Dear Science from You & Me, meaning that You & Me is better by just that much.  Not a lot, but I don’t have any bones with any song there, and this is just a little bit off.
5. “Golden Age” – And just when Dear Science was about to lose momentum, here comes another off-the-wall-in-its-funky-awesomeness track.  TVOTR loves itself some Track 5 – “Mister Grieves” from Young Liars, “Ambulance” from Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, “Wolf Like Me” from Cookie Mountain, and now this.  There’s nothing really eloquent to say here, just listen.  I can only say that this is the most immediately appealing (read: mainstream) song they’ve ever done, and the second of my three favorites.
6. “Family Tree” – The only real mellow track on the album.  “Stork & Owl” and “DLZ” are both downtempo, but they have a lot of angst that they work with, whereas this reminds me a little of Coldplay, except, you know, better.  There’s delicate piano throughout, but the minimalist percussion (drum machine? Jaleel Bunton, what say you?) keeps the pace slowly going.  This is not TV On The Radio, but it’s very lovely and nice.  It works.
7. “Red Dress” – And back to the awesome funk.  The best lyrics of the album open this track, and it only stays awesome from there: “Fuck your war/’Cause I’m fat and in love/And the bombs are fallin’ on me/fo sho/But I’m scared to death/That I’m living a life not worth dying for.”
8. “Love Dog” – This is more like the TV On The Radio I know.  A little shuffle with some vibes, some “ooh”s from Tunde, and you have just another very good TVOTR song.
9. “Shout Me Out” – Straightforward, catchy, relaxed pop.  Constant guitar triplets in the first half add depth and keeps the song moving forward.  And then it breaks loose and we get the classic “Amen break” drum beat, scientifically proven to be the most propulsive beat in music.  Really good song.
10. “DLZ” – Tunde’s voice owns this track.  The way he growls the word “nevermind,” turns a word that normally is the most passive into a war cry.  Jesus.  Deep, dark funk.  The production can be credited for the dark feel, with the drums’ echo and the horns section.  I love this goddamn song.
11. “Lover’s Day” – This song is the third of my three favorites, and it’s an “I’ma sex you up” song in the classic vein of “Sexual Healing”.  The only twist here is that it’s a celebration, a rejoicing of carnal sex on an epic scale.  The song just gets bigger and bigger, even though the lyrics stay ludicrously intimate, like “I’m gonna take you/I’m gonna shake you/I’m gonna make you cum/Swear to God, it’ll get so hot/It’ll melt our faces off.” Yeah.  That other C-word was used, in a non-smutty and non-ironic way.  Did it just blow your mind? No? Well, it’s cool anyway.

The star of this album throughout is unquestionably David Sitek’s production.  As Sam Walker told me when we geeked out to each other about this album, this production is unbelievably immediate.  The music isn’t clouded in haze like Desperate Youth or the way prog-rock seems to be going these days.  It’s catapulted into your face, but in a very unique way, because that’s the only way Sitek knows how.

I will now wipe the fanboy semen out of the inside of my pants, and hope that you will forgive me and continue to read this blog, because it won’t happen again on our second date, it’s just that it was just so hot, oh god, oh god…..

By nature I’m a very cynical person. It really takes a lot to move, compel, or inspire me in any extraordinary way. This jaded thinking has turned me into somewhat of a music snob, there I said it. But please, keep in mind that I don’t wear it on my sleeve. You’re not going to find me wearing tight jeans and thrift store clothing. I won’t be talking about how Death Cab was the best band since the Velvet Underground until they “sold out”. I have no trouble embracing mainstream music if it’s good. If you’re too pretentious to see that bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool are fucking awesome then you’re hopeless.

Vaguely known “indie rock” band TV on the Radio’s latest album “Dear Science” has a reached a higher plateau. The album is genre breaking, it’s unclassifiable, and it’s genius! While the band’s other albums were good, Dear Science is quite simply the best thing to come out in five years. Virtually all music fans will get something from this instant classic. The melodies are infectious, the beats make you want to shake your ass, and the harmony will sink right into your bones. The piano driven “Family Tree” is ambient, beautifully written, and mysteriously introspective. Kyp Malone softly sings /Were laying in the shadow of your family tree. Your haunted heart and me /as each new listen unearths new sounds hidden within the thick organic flow of harmounous layers. There are plenty of upbeat tracks too. “Shout Me Out” is a raw pop song with raucous buzzing guitars that are guaranteed to melt your face off! This album is something special, so do yourself a favor and pick it up.

]]> http://christhenlee.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/dear-science-why-so-blissful/ Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:36:24 +0000 christhenlee http://christhenlee.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/dear-science-why-so-blissful/

Back in High School I was more of a follower. I simply just floated through school blending in with the other students. The same could be said for me musically, I went through my radio friendly phase, my grunge stage, my emo fiasco, and by the end of my 4 years I was listening to Swedish metal. The odd thing is I was raised on country, and mainstream music with a splash of occasional jazz.

Once I was out in the real world I was a lost soul. I needed to find my own sound…desperately.

I started going into record stores and just buying CD’s strictly based on their covers. I went to HMV one day and found a CD in the 2 for $25 rack illustrating a bird’s nest. A nesting place for my lost soul? That CD was TV On The Radio’s 2006 release Return to Cookie Mountain.

Free at last, Oh free at last. With its dark and depressing lyrics, fuzzy guitar, marching drums, and bizarre arrangements that CD shot me into my new phase. A phase I could call my own: Indie Alternative. Ok, so Indie people aren’t hard to come across, but I feel at home.

~*~

TV On The Radio is made up of five multi-instrumentalists from Brooklyn, New York. The members of the band alternate between instruments. The drummer is actually a guitarist, and the bass, vocals, guitar, and synth are tossed around between the remaining members.

TV On The Radio is known for their darker sound, but their newest CD, Dear Science, is a danceable, gloomy, genre-bending release.

The CD opens up with ‘Halfway Home’ which models the fuzzy guitar and intense drumming that we’ve come to expect from TV On The Radio. As the CD progresses we’re introduced to funky guitar, playful horns, dance beats, elegant string arrangements, and unique harmonies.

The follow up song ‘Crying’ is darker in an up-beat way. The lyrics are murky but with disco inspired guitar, up-beat drums, and a playful horn arrangement you can’t help but feel happy. That then leads into the funky, hip hop single ‘Dancing Choose’, which leads into the slower, string based song ‘Stork & Owl’.

The CD comes to a climax with the single ‘Golden Age’  which can be compared to the likes of Prince. The songs carry on mixing genres along the way. The CD nears its end with songs that are more bass and drum oriented (songs like ‘Shout Me Out’, and ‘DLZ’). The CD closes with ‘Lover’s Day’ which finishes things off with an epic trumpet and horn finale.

Each song stands alone on this CD. You can’t review Dear Science as a CD, but rather by individual song. Each song varies from tugging at your heart strings, to making you want to dance. You have to really listen to the music and the lyrics to truly appreciate what TV On The Radio have to offer.

To kind of tie it in to my intro I’m going to leave you with a blurb by Kyp Malone (Vocalist, Guitarist, Bassist, and synth player) of TV On The Radio taken from their websites bio:

“I grew up listening to Joy Division, New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Cure, the Smiths and the Swans,” says Malone. “Some of that qualifies as ‘goth’ but it didn’t make me depressed to listen to that music despite what my parents assumed. It didn’t add to my ‘angst’ as a teenager. I simply identified with something in the music. It made me feel less alone, you know?”

He continues, “If I could be that for someone else, that would make me happy. It’d be a real form of success for me.”

Originally published at Tone Marrow Reviews.

No band has better tapped into the mood and vibe of post-9/11 America than a little band from Brooklyn called TV on the Radio. They have consistently created a paranoid, occasionally angry, apocalyptic blend of soul, funk, pop, hip-hop, electronica, and rock, with a few dashes of Radiohead and even some doo-wop in there as well. They made a big splash in 2006 with Return to Cookie Mountain which although was not quite a protest album, had much to say about living in an America at war, an America enveloped in fear, an America that was beginning to feel restless and angry. Cookie Mountain captured all these thoughts and emotions well. Dear Science, is, like its 2006 predecessor, a single unit–both in its music and its ideas, and should be listened to as such.

While it works well as a single unit, it also explores lots different avenues musically–this is what we’ve come to expect from TVotR and its what we love about them. They have the unusual ability to combine the squeal and roar of rocking guitars, funky bass lines, and electronic noises and sounds with other musical influences without making songs that sound overwhelming or crowded. Yet, its the thumping, rumbling, hip-hop drum beats, the versatile, soulful vocal stylings of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, and the staggering horns that rise to the top and give TVotR their distinctive sound. And, oh, those horns! They are featured a good bit on Dear Science, and are warmly welcomed because of the chill and grandeur they brought to tracks like “I Was A Lover” on Cookie Mountain. TVotR are still channeling Prince without overtly mimicking him and their smart, occasional use of the high falsetto vocals (which bear an uncanny resemblance to the falsetto crooning of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon) fit right at home on Dear Science,. David Sitek (guitars, producing, and more), Gerard Smith, and Jaleel Bunton (both preforming a plethora of instruments) are back for this recording as well and the group is better for it. Its stunning how much each of these guys does on the album–one of the reasons TVotR is such a stellar group is that each member brings so much talent and creativity to the table that they are able to create songs that are just bursting with life and beauty.

The madness begins on the opener “Halfway Home” where primitive rhythms and handclaps collide with futuristic, swirling synthesizers to form a truly memorable song. The hum of the synths hang in the background just building tension until it is all released in the fourth minute as the title of the song is finally sung and the guitars kick the door in. This is a trick they employ several times throughout this wonderfully satisfying record—tensions build up throughout these songs and find their release. When things get wild, they quickly slow it down on the next track providing a perfectly balanced set of songs. The variation in tempo and intensity are one of the many aspects that make this album feel so fresh on each listen. These songs are rich, dense, and complex and yet they are also simply fun to listen to. You can go as deep as you want searching for themes and meaning here or you can just crank it up and dance to it, what else could you ask for?

TVotR’s use of imagery is impressive–they range from the Old Testament locales of The Garden of Eden and Babylon to bombs falling and “the blood of the saints shot down in the square”–and those are all from just one song, “Red Dress.” They are able to evoke emotions and images in the mind with lyrics that are vivid and intricate. It almost feels as if TVotR are getting us ready for a party on this record–and in a way, perhaps they are. They tell us to be careful with our dancing shoes in “Dancing Choose”, prepare for the golden age to come in “Golden Age” (“The age of miracles/The age of sound/Well there’s a Golden Age Comin’ round, comin’ round, comin’ round”), and they tell us to “Go ahead put your red dress on/Days of white robes have come and gone/Come and gone/Oh you rivers, oh you waters run” on “Red Dress.” It certainly feels like TVotR are getting us ready for an important celebration–one brought about not by science, but by miracles and love—or perhaps the miracle OF love. Dear Science, and Return to Cookie Mountain are two sides of the same coin. Being made only two years apart they are both born out of roughly the same national and cultural circumstances, yet, while it could be argued Cookie Mountain saw the glass half empty, Dear Science, sees it as half full. And what of the other great songs on the record–the funky, addictive “Cryin’” and the moving, slow-builder “Love Dog” and the thumpy, guitar-fueled “Shout Me Out”? Sadly, there just isn’t enough space to mention the ins and outs of each of these brilliant songs.

Dear Science, reaches its apocalyptic climax in the stunning “DLZ.” It feels as if the end of the world is near, and TVotR is providing the accompaniment. There are death professors and bolts falling off of levers as well as the dog that wants her bones AND has lost her lead–add to this the thunderclap percussion, the eerie synths and you’ve got a downright frightening, chaotic song. It comes to a peak amazingly well in the cryptic final seconds in which the phrase “This is beginning to feel like the dawn of the luz of forever” is repeated several times. Yet neither the world nor the record end on “DLZ.” The final track, “Lover’s Day”, opens to the clear morning of a new day and there is peace. “Lover’s Day” describes in no uncertain terms the joys of romantic love. It seems to be pointing to the lighter things in life, namely, love, romance, relationships, and miracles. The song ends with Kyp Malone promising that there are miracles on Lover’s Day and he sings “I’m gonna take you home.” The album that begins in a “Halfway Home” ends with the promise of being returned to a place of belonging and security. Again, there is a hopefulness here, a redemption even, that perhaps wasn’t as clear on Return to Cookie Mountain. The paranoia and fear that have marked much of the first decade of the 21st century will not last forever say TV on the Radio. America will survive the long night and when that happens the bright horns of the angelic marching band that bring Dear Science, to a close will provide the soundtrack because, chances are, we’ll still be listening to this astonishing record on that day.

Grade: A

No band has better tapped into the mood and vibe of post-9/11 America than a little band from Brooklyn called TV on the Radio. They have consistently created a paranoid, occasionally angry, apocalyptic blend of soul, funk, pop, hip-hop, electronica, and rock, with a few dashes of Radiohead and even some doo-wop in there as well. They made a big splash in 2006 with Return to Cookie Mountain which although was not quite a protest album, had much to say about living in an America at war, an America enveloped in fear, an America that was beginning to feel restless and angry. Cookie Mountain captured all these thoughts and emotions well. Dear Science, is, like its 2006 predecessor, a single unit–both in its music and its ideas, and should be listened to as such.

While it works well as a single unit, it also explores lots different avenues musically–this is what we’ve come to expect from TVotR and its what we love about them. They have the unusual ability to combine the squeal and roar of rocking guitars, funky bass lines, and electronic noises and sounds with other musical influences without making songs that sound overwhelming or crowded. Yet, its the thumping, rumbling, hip-hop drum beats, the versatile, soulful vocal stylings of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, and the staggering horns that rise to the top and give TVotR their distinctive sound. And, oh, those horns! They are featured a good bit on Dear Science, and are warmly welcomed because of the chill and grandeur they brought to tracks like “I Was A Lover” on Cookie Mountain. TVotR are still channeling Prince without overtly mimicking him and their smart, occasional use of the high falsetto vocals (which bear an uncanny resemblance to the falsetto crooning of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon) fit right at home on Dear Science,. David Sitek (guitars, producing, and more), Gerard Smith, and Jaleel Bunton (both preforming a plethora of instruments) are back for this recording as well and the group is better for it. Its stunning how much each of these guys does on the album–one of the reasons TVotR is such a stellar group is that each member brings so much talent and creativity to the table that they are able to create songs that are just bursting with life and beauty.

The madness begins on the opener “Halfway Home” where primitive rhythms and handclaps collide with futuristic, swirling synthesizers to form a truly memorable song. The hum of the synths hang in the background just building tension until it is all released in the fourth minute as the title of the song is finally sung and the guitars kick the door in. This is a trick they employ several times throughout this wonderfully satisfying record—tensions build up throughout these songs and find their release. When things get wild, they quickly slow it down on the next track providing a perfectly balanced set of songs. The variation in tempo and intensity are one of the many aspects that make this album feel so fresh on each listen. These songs are rich, dense, and complex and yet they are also simply fun to listen to. You can go as deep as you want searching for themes and meaning here or you can just crank it up and dance to it, what else could you ask for?

TVotR’s use of imagery is impressive–they range from the Old Testament locales of The Garden of Eden and Babylon to bombs falling and “the blood of the saints shot down in the square”–and those are all from just one song, “Red Dress.” They are able to evoke emotions and images in the mind with lyrics that are vivid and intricate. It almost feels as if TVotR are getting us ready for a party on this record–and in a way, perhaps they are. They tell us to be careful with our dancing shoes in “Dancing Choose”, prepare for the golden age to come in “Golden Age” (“The age of miracles/The age of sound/Well there’s a Golden Age Comin’ round, comin’ round, comin’ round”), and they tell us to “Go ahead put your red dress on/Days of white robes have come and gone/Come and gone/Oh you rivers, oh you waters run” on “Red Dress.” It certainly feels like TVotR are getting us ready for an important celebration–one brought about not by science, but by miracles and love—or perhaps the miracle OF love. Dear Science, and Return to Cookie Mountain are two sides of the same coin. Being made only two years apart they are both born out of roughly the same national and cultural circumstances, yet, while it could be argued Cookie Mountain saw the glass half empty, Dear Science, sees it as half full. And what of the other great songs on the record–the funky, addictive “Cryin’” and the moving, slow-builder “Love Dog” and the thumpy, guitar-fueled “Shout Me Out”? Sadly, there just isn’t enough space to mention the ins and outs of each of these brilliant songs.

Dear Science, reaches its apocalyptic climax in the stunning “DLZ.” It feels as if the end of the world is near, and TVotR is providing the accompaniment. There are death professors and bolts falling off of levers as well as the dog that wants her bones AND has lost her lead–add to this the thunderclap percussion, the eerie synths and you’ve got a downright frightening, chaotic song. It comes to a peak amazingly well in the cryptic final seconds in which the phrase “This is beginning to feel like the dawn of the luz of forever” is repeated several times. Yet neither the world nor the record end on “DLZ.” The final track, “Lover’s Day”, opens to the clear morning of a new day and there is peace. “Lover’s Day” describes in no uncertain terms the joys of romantic love. It seems to be pointing to the lighter things in life, namely, love, romance, relationships, and miracles. The song ends with Kyp Malone promising that there are miracles on Lover’s Day and he sings “I’m gonna take you home.” The album that begins in a “Halfway Home” ends with the promise of being returned to a place of belonging and security. Again, there is a hopefulness here, a redemption even, that perhaps wasn’t as clear on Return to Cookie Mountain. The paranoia and fear that have marked much of the first decade of the 21st century will not last forever say TV on the Radio. America will survive the long night and when that happens the bright horns of the angelic marching band that bring Dear Science, to a close will provide the soundtrack because, chances are, we’ll still be listening to this astonishing record on that day.

TV on the Radio
Dear Science,
Interscope, 2008
Rating: 5.0/5.0

A little late to the scene, but I’ve recently been blasting TV on the Radio non-stop. It definitely took a while to warm up their style of music. The best way to describe their sound is unexpected, as in you expect the song to go one way and then it suddenly veers the opposite direction. This Brooklyn based experimental rock band has exploded into the mainstream with acclaim from Rolling Stone, Spin and an appearance on Letterman. Hell, even the insatiable Pitchfork gave them great reviews. Enjoy the following vids, they’re from Return to Cookie Mountain and Dear Science.

Wolf Like Me -

Family Tree -

Province -

Golden Age -

Have some relatively new music for you today for a change.  TV on the Radio is a band from NYC that’s been kicking up dust for the past four years or so and they’ve got a new album coming out today called Dear Science. It’s not very easy to describe TV on the Radio’s sound; it often gets called experimental or art-rock and I suppose those will do.  There’s an often subtle electronic presence to their music and at the same time there are organic elements of rock and soul.  David Bowie and Trent Reznor are fans of the band, so that’s gotta count for something as well.  Here’s the new single called “Dancing Choose,” which should quickly join REM’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” and everything by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony as the most impossibly difficult songs to sing ever:

So, yeah.  Good stuff.  I was slow to get into the band after just hearing a few songs from their first full-length Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes but I was fully on board with 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain. Here’s the great “Wolf Like Me” followed by “Province”, featuring the aforementioned Bowie:

Side note: I used to literally be able to listen to my TV on my radio as a kid.  Not exactly sure how that happened, but it was great for watching MTV without having to watch MTV.  Anyway…more tomorrow!