TV on the Radio Dear Science

Fuzzy Bits:

Release Date: September 23, 2008

Last Album: Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)

Sounds Like: TV on the Radio is getting better with age– which is downright scary considering how superb they already are.

Overall Rating: 100

TV on the Radio upped the ante with their sophomore release of Return to Cookie Mountain, a release that silenced cynics and critics of the band, while broadening their appeal beyond the indie fan base. Now, on Dear Science, TV on the Radio surprisingly pull out what is easily their most accessible and, dare I say, danceable album of their careers. To top it all of, it is absolutely perfect from beginning to end.

Accessibility and quality rarely go hand in hand, but Dear Science is one of those rare breeds. With each and every track, TV on the Radio throws the gauntlet, bringing an intricate production that is just glossy enough that they will certainly attract a new audience, but at the same time will floor their already established fanbase. The opening “Halfway Home” exemplifies this with its unrelenting sense of urgency that carries over from songs like “Wolf Like Me” from Return to Cookie Mountain, yet is enhanced by the absolutely terrific arrangements and depth that certainly will exceed most expectations.

This trend continues as Dear Science progresses to more familiar genre territories, such as the soul groove of “Crying,” which for all its Bowie-meets-Prince musicality actually produces profound results– not to mention very well-written lyrics. The singles “Dancing Choose” (say it aloud if it doesn’t immediately register) and “Golden Age” push the envelope on the established ground that TVOTR has covered previously with their sound and ramped up the fun factor to 11. While it would’ve been hard to consider the band as being a dance-worthy group, it’s hard to do anything but while listening to either of these songs.

While the raucous tracks will certainly garner the most attention, the slow stuff on Dear Science is perhaps just as masterful, and underscores the great deal of confidence TV on the Radio has as a band. “Stork & Owl” is a gorgeously lush piece, thanks in large part to the fantastic string arrangement, and despite being placed smack dab in the middle of the more upbeat songs on the album, it more than holds its own. “Family Tree” follows a similar suit, but ends with such a heavenly tone that it wouldn’t be out of place on a Sigur Rós release. The dense lyrics on “DLZ” are highly effective as Tunde Adebimpe delivers them with such unrelenting ire that it really pushes their politically-lined message into the forefront.

From the very beginning, TV on the Radio always looked to be something special. While much of their brilliance was understated, they have become increasingly clear with their mission and sound as time has gone on. Here on Dear Science, TV on the Radio wears their genius on their sleeve for all to see, and more importantly, they have fun with it. Not only is Dear Science the best album they’ve released in their short career, it’s also by far and away the most impressive album to be released so far in 2008.

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Kings of Leon Only by the Night

Fuzzy Bits:

Release Date: September 23, 2008

Last Album: Because of the Times (2007)

Sounds Like: Kings of Leon are going for their masterpiece, but unfortunately they just fall short.

Overall Rating: 87

Fresh off of their epic release Because of the Times, the Kings of Leon still had something to prove, despite the critical and commercial success of the release. Yet to truly “make it” in America, they released an even more mainstreamed album, one that at times comes awfully close to bastardizing the sound that made Kings of Leon popular in the first place. While Only by the Night never quite approaches the dynamic approach brought on by their previous release, there are a number of fantastic moments that rank as some of the best songs the band has written.

The album begins with a rather creepy “Closer”” — a song with such distracting synth effects you perhaps think you put the wrong album on by mistake — that is until you hear Caleb Followill’s distinctively raspy vocals. While the song never seems to really sort itself out, it acts as an appropriate warning for all Kings of Leon fans, as if the band is saying, “Okay, prepare yourself for something completely different here.” From there the album launches into the real meat of the album, tracks two through six. The first part of those songs are “Crawl” and “Sex on Fire,” which were the first songs to be leaked to the world. The fuzzy bassline and gripping guitars make up for the mediocre lyrics as the song swells into an all out rocker by the end of the track. The gritty “Crawl” awkwardly gives way to the crown jewel of the album “Sex on Fire,” which is much better than the title would ever lead you to believe. If you appreciate the sound that Kings of Leon boasted on Because of the Times, you’re almost certain to enjoy this track. “Sex on Fire” finds the band at their most confident, creating the rocking anthem that they had always been striving for.

That being said, if “Sex on Fire” is KoL’s rocking anthem, then “Use Somebody” is their “pop, soon to be on Grey’s Anatomy and every teeny bopper TV show“ anthem. It’s beautifully orchestrated, despite it’s clichés, and Caleb’s sense of urgency on the song just about sells you. What the song lacks though, ultimately, is direction — a hinderance that also effects the following ”Manhattan.“ As a jam, ”Manhattan“ is an outstanding groove and hits all the right notes, but it never really takes off into the higher gear that you would expect it to. Instead it just lies there, only relying on an awkwardly timed bridge to change the pace.

One slow burner that absolutely stuns, however, is ”Revelry.“ Absolutely gorgeous, the arrangements and scale of the song are so massive that it almost feels as though it was written and recorded in Madison Square Garden.

Things aren’t always so rosy in the world of Only by the Night however, as ”17“ is, ultimately, a throw away track and ”Notion“ and ”Be Somebody“ are both near-misses that just feel a bit too calculated for their own good. On the flip side, ”I Want You“ and the closing ”Cold Desert“ both manage to appeal without taking your breath away. The former track in particular is sure to leave you dancing with the chorus stuck in your head for hours (not to mention be the favorite tune for any late night drunken get together).

Yes, Kings of Leon has changed. If it wasn’t certain based on their last effort, it certainly is now. They haven’t completely abandoned their southern rock roots however as many claim — it’s still lying in the foundation more often than not. It’s the moments where it bubbles to the surface (such as on the aforementioned highlights) that the band proves to be really successful. Unfortunately they don’t quite hit that stride often enough, and for that, it’s a near miss.

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Kanye Takes a Mulligan on “Love Lockdown”

Between the half-baked original version of “Love Lockdown” and going apeshit on the paparazzi, you had to figure that Kanye finally snapped. While the jury might still be out on that, you have to give the guy credit for listening to his fans and rerecording the maligned “Love Lockdown.”

Is it better? Yes, definitely. It’s better in the same way driving a Yugo is better than riding a unicycle with a flat tire. It doesn’t sound like he’s trapped in the closet with R. Kelly anymore and it’s not nearly as dull. The vocals are better too, which also helps in making the song a bit more interesting, but it still falls short. You keep waiting for it to go somewhere, and it never really does and repeating the same words over and over again using different effects doesn’t make it better.

I will give ‘Ye all the credit in the world for trying, and actually succeeding at making it tolerable, but as dressed up as it is– it’s still a mediocre song at best.

Kanye West “Love Lockdown” 808’s & Heartbreak

New Ingrid Michaelson, “Be OK”

Miss Ingrid Michaelson is back once again with another pop gem. Many of you are probably all too familiar with her breakthrough “The Way I Am” which is still conquering the airwaves. “Be OK” is a bit more direct but, like “The Way I Am,” is deceivingly simplistic as it’s based on a sweet and lively ukulele riff. Quite an enjoyable listen that will be off of her new album entitled Be OK, a collection of covers, previously unreleased songs and live recordings. The album will be released on October 14 with a portion of the proceeds going to the Stand Up to Cancer organization.

Ingrid Michaelson "Be OK" Be OK

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New Kanye West: “Love Lockdown”

I’m all for Kanye (check previous reviews) and all for artists expanding their boundaries, and I can even live with the trend of hip hop artists going against their better judgment and trying to sing (auto-tune or not). All that being said, this song is bad, and not in the cool way. The bass line is a solid start, but from there the song becomes both parodic and dull before just becoming flat out sad. I know ‘Ye has been going through tough times, and you can definitely see the emotion coming out and even have a certain understanding of what he’s going for, but the song is just too long, too plodding, too meandering to be remotely effective. To make matters worse the song is horribly mixed and produced, with its cold echoes and oddly placed handclaps and animalistic shrieks thrown in for good measure. I’m sure it’ll be a sizeable success, as the beat will be more than enough for the club crowd, but it could’ve been and should’ve been better. 808’s & Heartbreak is due out December 16.

Kanye West "Love Lockdown"

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New Basement Jaxx, “My Turn”

Featuring Devonte Hynes from Lightspeed Champion, "My Turn" is a bittersweet groove with Hynes’ melancholy vocals offsetting the bubbly and almost jubilant production. It’s not a huge departure for fans familiar with the Jaxx, but nonetheless it’s a very welcome sound since it seems that they’ve been releasing nothing but gritty club mixes as of late. The song is available off of the Twerk (aka Planet 1) EP, which is in stores now.

Basement Jaxx "My Turn" Twerk EP

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New from Justice, “Planisphere”

First heard a while back at the Dior Homme fashion show, this song from Justice has been retooled and the studio and spred out into a mesmerizing four-part single. Sure to spread through the clubs like wildfire, here is the latest from Justice, "Planisphere" in all its glory.

Justice "Planisphere Pt. 1

Justice "Planisphere" Pt 2

Justice "Planisphere" Pt 3

Justice "Planisphere" Pt 4

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New Bob Dylan Video, “Dreamin of You”

A while back I posted the free audio single from Bob Dylan’s upcoming Bootleg Series release Tell Tale Signs, now here’s the corresponding video. Starring Harry Dean Stanton (most well known nowadays for his role as Roman Gant in the HBO TV series Big Love), this video is yet another personification of the Dylanesque loner that we’re all pretty familiar with– it’s still quite entertaining though.

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Video of the Week: Wilco & Fleet Foxes Perform “I Shall Be Released”

Wilco and Fleet Foxes singing together? Sounds like a match made in heaven. Performing the Bob Dylan standard, "I Shall Be Released?" Even better. Yes, if this video doesn’t set you right, there’s clearly something wrong. Go to the two minute mark to check out Jeff Tweedy’s superb falsetto– one of the definite highlights from the video.

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