So last week, I was lucky enough to hear the new album from Brooklyn’s finest TV On The Radio, Dear Science at a very small little listening party in Soho. Quite exciting as it’s not due out until September 23rd and on initial listenings, it sounds like it really could be one 2008’s musical gems. So I’ve got my paper pad and pen at the ready. Gosh, I sure hope people don’t notice and that I don’t look too uncool…

The follow-up to the band’s 2006 record Return to Cookie Mountain, encompasses an impressively majestic and strikingly orchestral arrangement into its 70/80’s glam-rock David Bowie-influenced sound (See: ‘Golden Age’). Opener ‘Halfway Home’ begins with a guitar riff that recalls previous single ‘Wolf Like Me’, but as the melody kicks in, features solid drumming built around a straight forward beat, with Tunde Adebimpe’s falsetto vocals delivering the lyrics with the dreamy, sing-song quality of a nursery rhyme. But don’t be fooled and lulled in by this. He later displays his more primal, aggressive side on the tracks ‘Dancing Choose’ and ‘DLZ’ which hark back to REM at that their most urgent and frantic (See: ‘End of the World As We Know It’). Guitarist Kyp Malone takes the vocal duties on ‘Crying’ and boy, what a take. The song could easily be mistaken for an 80’s funk-fuelled R&B track and his vocals could leave even Prince impotently whimpering to a corner.

Ultimately, I would prefer to listen to this record on repeated listens and in a more private environment. Listening to the record while a hundred or so people chat away isn’t exactly the most ideal conditions to fully absorb the music I’m sure you’ll agree, but from what I heard, and what I remember, this record has definite moments of instant genius, but it’s the more subdued tracks which I’m intrigued and keen to listen to again. Songs such as the closer, ‘Lover’s Day’, with lyrics like “I’m going to make you come“, again sounds erotically like Prince. I was also informed that Katrina Ford from ex-tour-mates Celebration, guests on the track too, providing the backing vocals. Cool. I like Celebration.

The group’s very own guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek (yep, that’s the guy behind Scarlett Johnanson’s ode to Tom Waits and the very same person that Foals foolishly felt didn’t harness their sound when mixing their dry and lame debut album) produces the record. He expertly hones and layers the mesh of noise from the euphoric and epic guitar noise and distorting a grand array of destructive beats. To fully appreciate these though, the record will definitely merit intent listens for the more subtle undertones of production. May I strongly advise you to keeps your eyes and ears peeled for this one. It would be just plain silly not to.

TV On The Radio on Myspace

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