TV ON THE RADIO
Return to Cookie Mountain
Interscope
· TV on the Radio invent a new sound – again.
If 2004's Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes got you all excited about TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain will not disappoint. Despite the leap from the indie Touch & Go Records to major label Interscope Records, their sound isn’t any less capricious.
Highlighted percussion is never what you’d expect from track to track, the band seemingly going out of their way to write arrangements that are contrary by nature. For example, if the guitar progression is grandiose, the percussion is more likely to consist of a simple tambourine. Where any other band’s song would explode, TVOTR brake it down to a clarinet solo. They definitely go out of their way to make unusual musical decisions.
With almost all band members providing loops and ambient sound in addition to their rock instruments, there is a focus on leaving space and creating texture, instead of clichéd rock solutions. That formula is the key to the band’s originality.
Tunde Adebimpe’s signature vocal sound is given a stacked "gang" effect that adds clout to the lyrics. Some noteworthy highlights are backup vocals by David Bowie (a fan and supporter of the band) on the song "Province," as well as the upbeat single "Wolf Like Me," that should be hitting dance floors everywhere presently.
TV on the Radio live up to the hype for those who listen to a lot of contemporary rock music and have been craving something that they can’t easily define. Others may take it as being weird for the sake of being weird.
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