(image courtesy of Interscope Records)
Now, I don't like to be presumptuous, (though some who know me would certainly stand to contend otherwise), but here on this 29th day of September in 2006 I stand a convicted man. I simply find it very hard to believe that anyone could make a record that could possibly be better than the monumental 'Return to Cookie Mountain' by TV on the Radio out now on Interscope. I have had the unmastered versions of TV on the Radio's new material since early in the summer but nothing could have prepared me for such an unbelievably good record. For those of you perhaps being in the same boat, hearing the demos prior to the record's stateside release earlier this month, you may have noticed that the songs did not change much in post production but the real strength with 'Return to Cookie Mountain' is the flow. It's fluid, it's touching, it's affecting, it's just good. I'm not even trying to explain how much I like it at this point through the medium of good, congnizant writing. I really really like 'Return to Cookie Mountain.' A lot.
I don't wish to simply gush about how strongly I feel you should get to your local record store by any means necessary in order to purchase TV on the Radio's new material (which you should) but I do wish to explore what it is that makes this band so good. Though not immediately apparent, a good portion of the beauty each TV on the Radio track enjoys is due to the subtle sounds the band produces, resulting in a sound so full that the listener has no choice but to repeatedly attempt to digest the elements at work in each song. Immediately engaging is the melody. Every song (not only on 'Return to Cookie Mountain' but also the band's tremendous debut 'Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes') is soaked in a melody that is not only entirely unique, but in the case of the new record, these things are in a class by themselves.
From the initial off-tempo horn swells in the beautiful 'I Was a Lover' to the staggering 'Province' to the only song more poppy than the song 'Poppy' from their debut, 'Wolf Like Me,' TV on the Radio is making music for everyone to enjoy. In a recent interview, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe said something that I perceive to be extremely insightful in regards to their music: 'When I see a bunch of people who probably shouldn't be hanging out together, something new is probably happening.' He's absolutely right. He's right in general and he's also right in speaking such words about TV on the Radio's accomplishment. There are elements of soul, of doo-wop, of indie rock, tribal rhythms, funk, hip hop... the list continues. TV on the Radio is doing something entirely new. They're doing something that no one else is doing and going in directions that no one else is capable of going. I'm just glad that I get to be part of it. (Also, see this band live before they are so popular that they're abandoning venues altogether and start playing cities. It could happen.)
TV on the Radio Tour Dates: click here
TV on the Radio Links:
TV on the Radio Interview from 2004
TV on the Radio Interview for Mass Appeal (2006)
TV on the Radio performing 'Ambulance' at Coachella
TV on the Radio performing 'Wolf Like Me' on Letterman
TV on the Radio 'Staring at the Sun' Music Video
cheers, baby
Comments