TV On The Radio - Dear Science
(Interscope) CD, LP in soon
I maybe a giant fan, but aren’t these guys just the best? Return To Cookie Mountain was an amazing mash of Dave Sitek’s avant noise dabblings with gospel, hip-hop & some severe pop inclinations (“Wolf Like Me” is basically the greatest song of all time). It was a tumultuous victory, possibly a challenging one to follow. Or… not. Dear Science is forthright in its attempts to get you going – much of what’s here is anchored by distinct rhythms & breaks, often sounding like the final echo of James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” – and the album is the group’s most accessible record to date. Opener “Halfway Home” bears the throttle of “Wolf Like Me”, while “Family Tree” is ballad with the group’s most classic-rock-wary arrangement yet, all piano & strings. “DLZ” is a bit of a dirge offset by counterpoint “la la la’s“ & Tunde’s familiar intensity. A great left-hook follow up that, while likely to propel TVotR further into the spotlight, manages to reaffirm their command of a seemingly endless number of influences, tones & perspectives.