TV on the Radio’s missive to society
October 7th, 2008 by Leilani in Reviews
TV on the Radio established itself as an art-rockin’, hip-hoppin’ heavyweight capable of rising above the status of mere buzz band with spectacular, well-produced first and second albums.
Many other groups would be crushed by the burden of their own brilliance. But David Sitek, Tunde Adebimpe and their assemblage of talented cohorts rose to the occasion with Dear Science, a third effort that is not only solid and well-crafted, but ambitious, masterful and possibly TVOTR’s best thus far.
The usual trademark elements are here: organic percussion mixed with drum machine beats, perfectly placed horn arrangements and electronic embellishments, stunning falsetto harmonies by singer/bassist Kyp Malone, and several well-placed appearances by Celebration’s throaty-voiced singer Katrina Ford.
But TVOTR’s own guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Sitek has also infused the album with sweeping soundscapes of strings- and synthesizer-laced walls-of-sound, expertly mixing minimal guitar elements with loud bursts of inspired music and never settling solely on one or even two rhythms in a single song.
Dear Science opens with “Halfway Home,” an up-tempo number marked by fuzzy layers of synths, vocal chanting, hand-clapping and lyrics delivered in a soft sing-song tone by Adebimpe, the unique rhythm exploding into a fast-pounding climax of distorted guitar riffs. The disco-fied “Crying” pairs funky guitar and playful keyboard blips and beeps with easy beats and rollercoaster horns, lyrics waxing on “late breaking disasters/ Next to news of the trite.” “Golden Age” follows a similar formula – serious lyrics paired with fun, bumpin’ rhythms, the Prince-style groove complete with falsetto vocals, a sassy little bassline, and a chorus that swells to a string-laced crescendo.
The album’s crowning glory is “Shout Me Out,” which opens with repetitive guitar notes and a simple hip-hop beat, Adebimpe singing over an austere background that builds to the chorus (“Lord, if you’ve got lungs/ C’mon shout me out”) and launches into a bombastic surge of fast grooves and screaming guitars, only to slow down into a short breakdown, then speed up again. It’s this slow-fast-slow-fast unexpectedness that makes this song and so many others on the album work so well.
TVOTR has learned to have fun with its seriousness, to set dark meditative lyrics about society’s ills against a soundtrack of hard-rockin’ dance music that brims with bravado, sexiness and soul. Dear Science, finds musicians who’ve already learned to rage and cry, and are now showing they know how to rejoice just as well. 4.5 out of 5 stars
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October 7th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Nice review.
I love the album, and think that it’s one of the best released this year easily.
It’s talented writing like this that keeps me coming back to the loafing again and again!
October 7th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I can dig it. What a keen sense of the album. I concur that “Dear Science” commands the landscape and produces some serious sonic cider!
October 8th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Nice write up and indeed a great album - hopefully they’ll make their way closer to Tampa… I don’t hear the hip-hop in it though; more soul, r&b, jazz influenced.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Leilani Polk hit the nail right on the head. Dear Science is TVOTR in their finest hour. A hauntingly gorgeous set of songs that will touch your soul and shake yer ass. well played TVOTR, well played.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
TVOTR’s attention to rhythm in their vocals - the scatting sort of sounds and beats they make — and the way they deliver their lyrics are pure hip hop. Plus, several songs, on this album in particular, have a very hip-hop quality of production — like “Crying”