TV on the Radio turns out one incredible Return
The album mixes sad lyrics with an upbeat rhythm.
Published Sept. 15, 2006
It's not often that a band can meet its audience's astronomically high expectations after the group has released one or two great albums. Many times, it's simply impossible to reach the unnatural level of greatness that fans project — but TV on the Radio has no such problem.
TV on the Radio's cryptically named album, Return to Cookie Mountain, is a damn fine piece of work, and even one listen through Return would abolish any doubt that the band has become tainted by success or unable to reach expectations.
The unmistakable vocals of Tunde Adepimbe and Kyp Malone, the band's two primary vocalists, add to the inimitable quality of the album. Throughout Return, the two howl and reach the upper registers in such a way that they often raise fleshy armies of goosebumps.
Return deals with memories of tragedy and despair and pulls in the listener with the complexity and depth of the lyrics.
Still, despite some of the dark lyrics, for the music itself is light-hearted in most cases, obtaining clarity not seen in much of its previous albums.
On "Province," the track that David Bowie provides backup vocals, there is intentional confusion between the meaning of the lyrics and the harsh clinking tones of the piano, the upbeat drum set playing and the "ooo-ing" of the vocal lines that enter and exit sporadically. On nearly every track, the layers of vocals have that "ooo-ing," which has become characteristic of TV on the Radio.
"A Method" begins with one solitary ascending and descending slow-paced whistling line that leads into the main lyrical line and rhythmic claps. This soon fades slightly at the one-minute and a half mark. Then, a metallic, rhythmic clanging and faster clapping enters, though the lyrics maintain their integrity throughout. An identical whistling finishes the track accompanied by claps that gradually disappear.
Throughout the album, there is obvious commitment to experimentation as seen in some of the instrumentation and vocal lines. On "Let the Devil In," the members of the band often replace their singing and howls with yelling, making the still-coherent lyrics even more powerful.
In every song on Return, understandable but cryptic lyrics allow for any number of interpretations — though they mostly lean toward negative connotations. Occasional dissonance keeps the listener enthralled because of its foreign color.
There's not really much to complain about beside the fact that the tracks sometimes blend because they share similar rhythmic and vocal styling.
In conclusion, hot damn. This was certainly worth waiting for. Go buy this album. That's not a recommendation; it's an order.
Artist: TV on the Radio
Album: Return to Cookie Mountain
Genre: Indie
Record Label: Interscope
Release Date: Sept. 12
Most Listenworthy Track: 'Province'
Reviewer's Rating: 4.5 out of 5Ms