FUV's New Dig: TV on the Radio

Seeds
TV on the Radio
Harvest Records


TV On The Radio, Brooklyn's highly regarded art rockers, are back.

Tunde Adebimpe, Jaleel Bunton, Kyp Malone and David Andrew Sitek are harvesting new life, in the form of an album called Seeds. It's the sixth full-length album from TVOTR (counting the demo collection OK Calculator), and their first following the death of bassist Gerard Smith in 2011.

The mini-sabbatical that followed, with the four remaining band members going to their respective corners to indulge in individual pursuits, must have been inspiring: the band sounds reinvigorated and focused.

The path that led to Seeds was strewn with several new songs issued last year. You won't find those stray songs here, but you will find 12 examples of what makes TV On The Radio great -- perhaps better than ever. TVOTR has managed to harness their innovative tendencies and diverse influences and bring them clarity. The new songs are more direct and transparent; they have refined their ideas without losing their sense of experimentation.

At times, they even brush up against straightforward pop-rock, as on "Right Now." "Could You" rides a jangly, McGuinn-like guitar riff, punctuated by bright horns. "Careful You" swims in a sea of electronica. "Ride" starts as a haunting melody, complete with muddied Lennonesque piano, and then bursts into a driving rock song. "Happy Idiot," the album's first focus track, and the thundering "Lazerray" are two of the more energized songs on the record.

On Seeds, we hear a centered TV On The Radio, one that is still propelled by a spirit of experimentation but has honed its craft well, becoming a fine-tuned machine. If these new songs are indeed seeds, they are sure to grow into something to behold.


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