TV on the Radio's new album signals the 'dawn of the loser'
The Drop music blog
By Marshall Pearson, Staff Writer
October 1, 2008 | midnight
Perhaps my upbringing and “teenage” years were irregular, but I have always thought that there is a distinct mood created by a summer night. Many of my fondest memories have been forged under a starlit backdrop with friends and music, and TV on the Radio's Dear Science paints a visual picture reminiscent of those glorious times.
A quintessential summer activity such as sitting beneath the stars with friends and talking about life and the state of the world could have been the band’s inspiration for the this album. Dear Science may sound like perfect summer music, but the themes that the band sings about go much deeper than that. TVOTR somehow encapsulates the mood of the young and disenfranchised youth that feel alienated by parents, politics, and a world that they have trouble understanding.
Despite its confusing, poignant, thematic lyrics, Dear Science marks the band’s transition to a brighter, poppier sound that may cause the album to be their most popular to date. There is a great deal of stylistic contrast between this album and the band’s 2006 release Return to Cookie Mountain -- Dear Science is certainly a catchier record due to its number of danceable tracks and hopeful tone.
Even though it lacks Return to Cookie Mountain’s gloomy vocals and dark ambiance, Dear Science features lyrics about death, self-doubt and blind infuriation that bother the listener in a more subtle but grating manner. One of the most striking elements of the album is the way in which TVOTR’s lyrics about the confused and anxious feelings found among America’s youth conflicts with the album’s seemingly exuberant musicality.
While Dear Science certainly has its positive and catchy dance-rock cuts, the other end of the tonal spectrum is represented by a spread of ballads and love songs that I find to be among some of the most beautiful tracks the band has ever released.
“Family Tree” is a somber tale that flirts with the theme of forbidden love and keeps the listener guessing about the metaphorical transformation of a family tree into a set of gallows. “Love Dog,” possibly my favorite track on the album, is a textural and grave song that uses a vivid string arrangement and electronic elements to paint a picture of loneliness in an intimidating world.
Dear Science is not merely composed of dance cuts and ballads. “DLZ” is a stand-out track that is TVOTR’s closest sojourn into the hip-hop genre. A simple drum beat blends with Adebimpe’s singing and (regrettably) his “rapping” to create a politically-charged, yet ambiguous, anthemic track. The awkwardness of the rapping on this track is the only downside to this album, but it does nothing to taint Dear Science’s overall impact.
The closing song, “Lover’s Day,” is a brash and explicit declaration of sexual desire that is certainly an unexpected ending to the album. The band uses an orchestral arrangement of both instruments and vocals to give the track an almost ceremonial feel, which I thought signified the interesting conflict between lyrical and musical elements. This divergence is especially meaningful because Adebimpe’s vocals are comprised of lines like “I’m gonna take you, I’m gonna shake you, I’m gonna make you cum.”
The album is a beautiful and poignant masterpiece that shows the band using intricate instrumental arrangements, orchestral vocals and dance/rock conventions. Dear Science is the band’s statement about the condition of the world, and the album feels something like a manifesto for a generation of disillusioned young people.
Simply put, the next time I am driving around on a thoughtful summer night with the windows down, I know exactly which album will be playing.
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Rating: 9.5
Label: Interscope Records
Release Date: September 23, 2008