TV On The Radio

I wanted to call this the “slow jam” list…but it’s hardly R&B inspired. This is about the “heartfelt” songs of the year. The songs convey a message to the heart. I can’t really explain each song (partly b/c I just don’t know how to), but also because it’s hard to go into detail about slow songs. It’s a subjective experience. This list goes all across the board, it doesn’t matter what genre. I liked these songs for several reasons: 1) The vocals. 2) The lyrics. 3)The melody. 4) The mood. As usual, in no particular order.

I’m not a TV on The Radio fan but I’ve heard about them extensively especially with their critically acclaimed release “Dead Science” which was released last month. I know nothing about TV on The Radio’s previous records and I’m going in the dark based on the overwhelming critical and public response.

TV on the Radio is labeled in the “experimental genre” so while I can’t really describe their sound, most reviews on their album are based on the lyrical content of the album. I really would describe their music as a little weird for me, at times it feels like an upbeat disco or we get some fine classical composition via the violin.

This album is hit and miss for me on a lot of tracks. Primarily some of the music doesn’t quite win me over despite having good lyrical content or some things that are obvious worthy of praise. I should look at lyrics more closely I guess but is it just me or that’s the last thing I look to when checking out music? If I don’t enjoy the song I’m probably not going to be active in searching more of the track. I would point to Golden Age the first single off the album. Elbo.ws was populated with the postings of the video.

There are quite a bit songs I do enjoy, I’ll list them if you like: Halfway Home, Crying, Dancing Choose, Stork and Owl, Family Tree, Love Dog, DLZ and Shout Me Out. Stork and Owl and Family Tree are by far my favorites but each of those tracks has something that makes it stand out. I like it’s too easy to point out the greatness on these tracks, I guess I’ll concentrate on the tracks I don’t like it.

Golden Age and Red Dress seem to clash music with vocals and while I think lyrically they are solid, musical composition and just how things sound is the most important denominator when it comes to liking music. I simply can’t get into these songs because they just don’t possess the same quality. Granted some of these tracks are upbeat but it’s more of a mess. In their efforts to try more, it’s failed for me.

An alright album for me, nothing GREAT and I’d personally rather populate my top 20 list of the year with other albums. Maybe someone can enlighten me but otherwise I’m disagreeing.
Rating: 3.9 out of 5

Family Tree by TV On The Radio

Stork and Owl by TV On The Radio