TV on the Radio : Dear Science
When TV on the Radio introduced themselves in 2003 with their incredible debut EP Young Liars, they presented themselves as innovators, slathering their soupy pop music in heady production and stunning vocal melodies. Less than a year later, on 2004’s Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, they showcased the dirtier and grimier aspects of their sound as well, still forward-thinking but with a foundation of grit. Their follow-up, Return to Cookie Mountain, raised the bar even higher, staking their claim as one of rock’s most innovative bands. With Dear Science, the band’s third full-length, it just seems that bar keeps on being pushed even higher.
Dear Science is a step forward for the group while remaining grounded in their signature sound. There are the heady post-punk/shoegaze songs that came to represent the trademark TVOTR sound on albums past, but throughout the album they sound restless, all too eager to step outside their comfort zone. In the hands of a lesser band, an attempt to pull a sound in so many different directions at once could collapse under the weight of their own ambition, but TV on the Radio have the execution to back up the vision.
Album opener “Halfway Home” is both comforting and awe-inspiring, signaling a return to a familiar TVOTR groove while soaring into a majestic and powerful chorus. Singer Tunde Adebimpe shows off the impressive range of his pipes as he sings, “is it not me?/ Am I not rolled into your crush?/ the road you chose/ unloads control/ see it take me so/ go on throw this stone/ into this halfway home.” And all the while, David Sitek’s stunning whirlwind of sound engulfs everything within. Just one track later, the band changes course completely, easing into the soulful funk-fest “Crying,” showing off their best Prince grooves and electro breakdowns. And yet another track later, “Dancing Choose” offers another sharp left turn, finding Adebimpe viciously spitting, “he’s a what?!/ he’s a what?!/ he’s a newspaper man/ and he gets his best ideas from a newspaper stand,” over an upbeat but subtle melody, only to find the contrast flipped during the chorus, as Adebimpe sings a subdued hook over a heavy bed of fuzz.
The band corrals their best ballads on Dear Science, including the Kate Bush-like string sampling “Stork & Owl,” and “Family Tree,” an echo-laden piano track that simultaneously evokes Animal Collective and “Rainbow Connection.” Meanwhile, first single “Golden Age” brings more funk and good vibes all around, with the choral hook “Age of miracles/ age of sound/ Well, there’s a Golden Age/ comin’ round” serving as a celebratory rallying cry. And I’d be happy to join that party anytime. Similarly, “Red Dress” offers a Hellish breakdown of Biblical proportions, with meaty organ and Jaleel Bunton’s hot beats laying a fiery backdrop for an invitation to “come bear witness to the Whore of Babylon.” The stunning “Love Dog,” meanwhile, is merely one of the best songs the band has ever written.
The skipping beats of “Shout Me Out” provide some little pleasures, and a break from the album’s more bombastic moments, though the song ultimately ascends to a louder and more urgent climax. Shorly thereafter, “DLZ” takes things back up a notch or twelve with its hypnotic bassline and stunning “la la la” vocal interplay between Adebimpe and Katrina Ford from Baltimore’s Celebration. And with “Lover’s Day,” the band closes with an epic and upbeat standout, a sex jam that somehow becomes a universal call to the audience with the promise “I’m gonna take you home.“
Expectations for Dear Science were justifiably high, given TV on the Radio’s track record. And sure enough, it’s another new peak for a band that introduced themselves with about the strongest 20-minute mission statement as anyone’s ever released. When they keep exceeding the expectations directed their way, however, it merely reinforces the notion that TV on the Radio are one of the best bands in America today.
Label: 4AD/Interscope
Year: 2008
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