tv on the radio’s last album, return to cookie mountain, ended with a baptism of sorts: “wash the day” is a song that addresses the ambiguity of death— its inadvertent beauty. on dear science, tv on the radio continue exploring that ambiguous territory but without much of the ominous inflections; there’s almost an underlying narrative here connecting this album to the last. the arrangements are still dense and layered, but the production is much cleaner, helping to set the mood of the album. tv on the radio have taken their wall of sound, torn it down and are now parading past it with the funkiest, catchiest songs they’ve written to-date, taking full advantage of the antibalas afrobeat orchestra who have offerred their services yet again. while the music is technically “lighter” fare, being full of movement and life, it should not be an invitation to write this album off. choosing to back themselves with an orchestra that models itself on fela kuti’s africa 80 should be an indication that this album is no lark. i commend tv on the radio for releasing such an exceptional record after having made what most considered to be their finest work. dear science is a rich, nuanced and an utterly stunning album.
Filed under: Album Review , 2008, antibalas afrobeat orchestra, dear science, kyp malone, tunde adebimpe, tv on the radio
Hear, hear.