The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features
Nominate-best-2010

TV on the Radio | Dear Science,

Interscope
By MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY  |  September 16, 2008
3.0 3.0 Stars
TVontheRadioINSIDE.jpg
Five years after their debut, TV on the Radio remain fiercely independent (major label notwithstanding) — an iconoclastic mélange of nervy rock, loopy, squalling tangents, and soulful vocals provided by Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. Their latest is roughly split between fiery rave-ups and introspective ballads, making liberal use of two major accents: the horns of the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and a patina of solemn strings. A genre-bending number like “Crying” is where TVOTR shine; they put Kyp Malone’s evocative R&B falsetto over a digitized, pixelated melody that sounds like past, present, and future all at once. Adebimpe dominates “Dancing Choose” and “DLZ,” gliding from pointed invectives to tender whispers. “Red Dress” is straight out of Paisley Park, irrepressibly danceable and more straightforward than anything they’ve done so far. “Family Tree” might be their most unusual effort: a dimly lit arrangement of minor-key piano and strings whose playful morbidity (“the gallows of your family tree”) sounds akin to the Moz. Although it’s not a major departure, Dear Science, does have a more open, brighter sound than Return to Cookie Mountain. TVOTR have maintained their special vision while drawing in new ideas and expanding their sound.
Related: From two to five, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Media, Radio, TV on the Radio,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
HTML Prohibited
Add Comment

[ 02/09 ]   "Haitian Relief Concert"  @ Hard Rock Café
[ 02/09 ]   Triplefunk Trio  @ Alchemist Lounge
[ 02/09 ]   Marc Ryser  @ Williams Hall at New England Conservatory
[ 02/09 ]   Callithumpian Consort  @ Jordan Hall
[ 02/09 ]   "Evolution Tuesdays"  @ Rumor
ARTICLES BY MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   PIT ER PAT | THE FLEXIBLE ENTERTAINER  |  January 27, 2010
    Pit Er Pat, the minimalist duo of Fay Davis-Jeffers and the dubiously named Butchy Fuego, have pared down their sound in search of simple beauty, but the result is an icy album utterly lacking in energy.
  •   RJD2 | THE COLOSSUS  |  January 13, 2010
    RJD2 has fallen prey to self-doubt — having decided, it would seem, that sample-based music lacks authenticity, he's embarked on an ill-advised attempt to become a "performer."
  •   TRANS AM | WHAT DAY IS IT TONIGHT? TRANS AM LIVE, 1993 - 2008  |  November 24, 2009
    Trans Am are distillers of guilty pleasures, mixing fat AOR riffs with sleazy electronic accents and a propulsive attitude typically reserved for arcade soundtracks. What Day Is It Tonight? covers the DC-area band’s 20-year history with high-quality, high-energy live cuts taken from their many tours.
  •   THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION | SIX  |  October 06, 2009
    Formed in sunny San Diego, the Black Heart Procession write the kind of gloomy, downcast dirges you'd expect from less hospitable climates.
  •   FOOL'S GOLD | FOOL'S GOLD  |  September 22, 2009
    A big band with a big sound, Los Angeles-based Fool’s Gold come off as self-consciously cosmopolitan.  

 See all articles by: MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2010 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group