Released 23 September 2008


I first heard about TV On The Radio a couple of years ago. I was reading a collection of end of year highlights on a website, best songs, best albums and so on. I like to think of myself as being fairly knowledgeable when it comes to music, and I recognised the majority of the people mentioned. But this band called TV On The Radio kept on popping up, and I wondered how I could have missed them. Handily, there was a YouTube video link for Wolf Like Me, which had been heavily nominated in the best song category. To say I was impressed would have been a massive understatement. It’s one of those songs that just grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. Intrigued, I checked out some of their other songs, and next I found Province, with guest vocals by one David Bowie (who apparently went to the same secondary school as I did, just at very different times). Again, very impressed. So I picked up the album Return To Cookie Mountain, and was very happy that I did. I still find myself reaching for it and wanting to listen to it today, which is the true sign of a great album.

By now (assuming you’re still reading of course) you’re probably wondering, “Well who are TV On The Radio? What do they sound like? Who do they sound like? Is the lead singer a drop-dead gorgeous blonde siren who exists only in my dreams?” The answer to the latter is a definite no, they are all male, but after hearing them you just might forget your carnal urges. Or indeed have more, but that depends on the listener. But I digress – TVOTR are from New York City, and they sound like no one in particular, but also like a collection of varied musical genres. My own personal description would be for you to imagine darkfunkyPrinceelectrovocalpercussionjoy! Yep, try and fit all that into your cranium.

Take for example, Dancing Choose from the new album, Dear Science. It starts off with a bassline meant for drum n bass, and vocals with hip hop delivery and accuracy. Then come some vocal harmonies, to throw you off guard. Follow that up with some healthy background brass, and what sounds like a school bell, and it morphs into a jazzy dance-a-long that CSS would tip their hat to. Golden Age starts off like a song that Howard and Vince would do on The Mighty Boosh, which is no bad thing, but it becomes something wonderful. And yet they can throw in songs like Halfway Home, which is heavy on the synths and not as upbeat as the aforementioned tracks, but equally stunning in the mood it creates, and when the guitars kick in towards the end, it’s almost euphoric. DLZ even has a few playful la-la-la’s thrown in for good measure, but in no way do they detract from the music, as it progresses the dark-sounding song, until it swells, holds, and subsides fantastically.

Shout Me Out is great to hear as it surprises you mid-song, making you think it’s really a gentle pop-ish song, until it becomes a righteous stompalong. In each and every song, there is so much joy to find, as you never know what to expect, but all of the twists and turns are so, so pleasing. This is true music at its best. TVOTR somehow find ways to evolve their sound, but also improve on everything. Return To Cookie Mountain was a great album. Dear Science is a GREATER album, and it deserves your full attention. A true masterpiece, and it will be very, very difficult for anything else to top this as far as those end of year awards go.

Stunning.

Posted In Album Reviews, Sep 25 2008. Words - Paul