There is something so complete about TV On The Radio.
The elements that they blend together to create their sound feel so unforced and real. When they get funky and they do often on Nine Types Of Light, you can close your eyes and just see the sly looks on their faces. The kind of look where they are letting you in on a little secret, free your mind and your ass will follow.
Weather it’s a freaky falsetto, chicken scratch guitar line or quick stab of horns, these lads live in the land of groove. Locked in and ready to soar, this band while incorporating a number of recognizable source models has combined them in such a way as to sound like no other.
Five albums in and TV On The Radio are also getting more and more comfortable with allowing emotions to escape and while previous albums have submerged a lot of their meaning in cryptic prose, the words here are more obvious than ever, still open for interpretation mind you but on the surface more accessible.
There is a mellowness at play here that seems more heartfelt emotion than just easy listening experience especially when you know the tragedy that the band has experienced with the recent death from lung cancer of long-term band member Gerard Smith. This beautiful album is a fitting tribute to a fallen brother.
Rob Hudson
www.tvontheradio.com
