|
Written by Branden Hart
|
|
Tuesday, 07 April 2009 |
 TV on the Radio in concert. Image courtesy of Filckr's
Also, expect to hear a droning female relay information about all the different locations where robots have sex.
In its 2002 debut album, “OK Calculator,” the band (then consisting only of members Tunde Adebimpe and David Andrew Sitek) explored experimental territory both musically and lyrically (see the aforementioned fornicating robots).
Contrast that with the most recent release, “Dear Science,” which was named the No. 1 album of 2008 by too many publications to name (Rolling Stone magazine being one notable example), and you get a band with sophisticated musical roots redefining the modern musical zeitgeist.
By surfing the waves of every musical trend, TV on the Radio has established itself as a band that not only transcends genres but redefines them. This is most evidenced on “Dear Science,” where the band takes traditional musical themes, tears them down and then reassembles them in an auditory texture that, while appealing, is as twisted and cerebral as an M.C. Escher print.
TV on the Radio’s aggressive contrapuntal style stands on a solid harmonic foundation, yet its music’s fluidity makes the band’s later sound accessible to any ear. Don’t judge TV on the Radio until you’ve listened to “Dear Science.” Once you do, I dare you to change the channel.
[TV on the Radio, Smuggled Sounds, Rolling Stone, Front page image courtesy of Flickr's "Yaffa Phillips"]
Branden Hart, TheSequitur.com's managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio.
|
.jpg)
