TV on the Radio not Desperate for talent

By Austin Ray, Senior Staff Writer

Published March 9, 2004

Quick. Think of the last album that completely blew you away. Remember the way it made you not want to listen to any other music? You might have even lost a few friends who arrogantly uttered, "It's me or this album, man," forcing you to make the obvious choice of the latter. After all, pals are a dime a dozen, right? How many truly excellent albums are being put out these days?

All right, so maybe you shouldn't desert your (close) companions for music, but TV on the Radio's debut full-length release, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, is the kind of album you can risk friendships for.

If you don't feel like reading the following 425 words, which will serve as nothing less than ridiculously complimentary drivel, then do yourself a favor, and go buy the album. Its nine songs will drag you out of the desolate muck of popular music's vast wasteland and elevate you to the heavenly heights of aural paradise.

For the rest of you, thanks for your time. Let's continue ...

One of the first things that will stand out to anyone new to TV on the Radio is the group's primary vocalist, Tunde Adebimpe. He combines the doo-wop-esque crooning of a barbershop quartet with gospel-tinged blues leanings to easily make one of the most interesting sets of vocals in rock &#39n' roll today. If you're listening for the first time, be sure to place adequate padding below your face to cushion your jaw when it hits the floor.

In an attempt to keep up with Adebimpe's one-man show, the group adds electronic loops, drums, various wind instruments and occasional guitars. The result is a sound that comes off a little chaotic, a little confusing, but intriguingly one of a kind.

A few blasts of saxophone start off the album's first track, "The Wrong Way," before the rest of the song's musicianship crashes in.

The song continues to pile on the instrumental elements, and Adebimpe's poetic lyrics become more and more poignant until he makes his call to arms for racial equality:

"I'm gonna take liberty/ and I'm tellin' you to take it too/ &#39cause it's right there in front of you."

All this, and it's only the first track. Be forewarned: If you trip and fall down while listening to Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, you're likely to land on what ends up being 2004's song of the year. As it is, the aforementioned "The Wrong Way" is in the running along with album-mates "Poppy" and "Bomb Yourself." If it weren't for its inclusion on 2003's Young Liars EP, "Staring at the Sun" would also fit into this category.

In fact, the only complaint that can be leveled against the album is a couple of its songs run on too long. Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is musically diverse, vocally experimental and all-around badass. Don't waste your time on homework, finding the perfect career or the pursuit of love. Just go buy this album, and try not to spend every waking moment with it.