Customer Reviews

Dear Science

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I'll admit right away to feeling a little out of my depth as I sit down to write this review. I'm a latecomer to the whole TVOTR thing. I don't currently own a copy of Return To Cookie Mountain (soon to be corrected, however), despite its apparent esteemed status in the post-2000 indie canon. I'm in my 30s and am feeling increasingly distanced from the plethora of new indie bands that appear on the scene every year. Maybe that's not a bad thing, maybe it's inevitable, but I guess I am just having a harder time separating the wheat from the chaff. I'll admit to having bought this CD on a whim, largely because it's a step outside what I typically listen to and I am trying to branch out some more. All that to say, this is not the review of someone who is intimately familiar with the band's prior recorded output.

I believe that this band is in the same general age category as myself (I recall reading that somewhere, at least) and that doesn't surprise me when I hear this CD. I recall reading in the same article that the band member being interviewed referenced the Cure and other 80s alt-rock bands as touchstones in his musical development. I hear a lot of that here and I like it, since that is the music I listened to back in high school as well. But the key is, this band doesn't just stop there. I hear Prince influences, the Antibalas horn section, and a lot of digital sounds in the mix too. Yes it does seem very produced but for some reason this doesn't bother me that much because there is so much else to pay attention to. Then there's the matter of the lyrics. In "Red Dress," probably the emotional core of this album, Adebimpe lays it all on the table - I urge anyone considering whether or not to buy this album to look up these lyrics online and read them. They are pure poetry, plain and simple, describing with empathy and sympathy the confusion of the world we live in. Other songs on this album are well-written too but none rise to quite these heights.

I see a lot of criticism for this album on here and I can see where some of it is coming from. At its worst, there are places where the album sags under the weight of the production, and the darkness of some of the lyrics does not mesh with the dance beats. For me though, when it comes together on songs like the aforementioned "Red Dress," it really works. The band obviously has the ability to write great songs, and perhaps it would be to their benefit not to bury this quite so much in production. However this is small stuff. I really enjoy this disc on multiple levels and am ready for more from this band. Time to order Cookie Mountain.

There was something about 'Return To Cookie Mountain' that intrigued me and I tried repeatedly to get into that record. Ultimately, I came away liking only a couple of the songs but also with great respect for the band's creativity. It was an unusual combination of feelings.

For me, 'Dear Science' resolves that conflict. There is no sacrifice in imagination or creativity and the songs have a more accessible style which peaks in track two, 'Crying'. However, there is no lack of dark sentiment here, both musically and lyrically. In particular, 'Halfway Home' and 'Family Tree' two of the record's highlights, generate a feeling of weird dread and disturbance due to the ideas and pictures they suggest but never fully reveal.

While all the lyrics are interesting and fit very well with the music, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe's lyrics are are nothing short of poetry. His narrative sketches are, at times, almost hypnotic.

Guitarist David Sitek's production is noticeable for the intelligent balance it strikes between the Jaleel Bunton's multi-level drumming styles and nice touches of horns here and there amongst the synths and vocals.

As for the deluxe edition? There are actually sixteen tracks, with track twelve being exactly four minutes of silence. The four extra tracks are worth the extra cash. 'Make Love All Night Long' is a good song but not quite as good as the album tracks. 'Heroic Dose' clocks in at about seven minutes and has a spoken french vocal over electronics and horns - also pretty good. 'Dancing Choose' is the only song I don't like on the record and so the remix leaves me cold too. The remix of 'Crying' is a little longer than the original at 4.29 and stays faithful to the original version with the addition of extra synths and some cutting and pasting of the vocals.

Album of the year? Well, what does that mean anyway? That said, for me, 'Dear Science' is one of the top three records of the year, along with 'Consolers Of The Lonely' by The Raconteurs and 'The Seldom Seen Kid' by Elbow.

If you are downloading the MP3 album as a whole, pay an additional 50 cents and download the Deluxe version instead. It has four more tracks.

UPDATE (10/2/2011)

I don't know if it is a permanent price change, but the deluxe version is now five bucks, whereas the version with four fewer tracks costs nine forty nine. Getting the deluxe version is a no-brainer.

I can't remember when I felt so ambivalent about an album (and a band) as I do about TVOTR and "Dear Science." There are some terrific songs on the record. But overall the music is so over-thought, so over-arranged and over-produced that it can barely breathe, let alone rock. Every bit of aural space has to be filled with some kind of effect or little gewgaw, as if the band wanted so much to impress the listener with their creativity. They need to loosen up. Maybe get rid of Sitek, since he seems to be responsible for much of the clutter. Tunde Adebimpe's a strong vocalist, but he's down too low in the mix. Maybe the band will get it right the next time. There's enough good stuff on this one to make me hopeful.

I pride myself on not falling into the "it doesn't sound like their other stuff" line of criticism when it comes to drastic artistic change, and as TV on the Radio is one of my favorite bands currently in action I have second-guessed my initial off-putting reaction to this album at every turn. But after three and a half listens, I have to say I just can't get into it.

The mantra associated with this album is something along the lines of "experimental art-dance-rock at its best." It's clear the word "dance" was heavy on the band's collective mind while creating these songs. This introduces problem number one: a persistent feeling I can't shake from this record is that the "dance" aspect seems so, so forced. TVOTR's live show is decidedly more manic and loud than the meticulously sculpted sounds of Desparate Youth and Cookie Mountain, and I think the urge to boogie their way out from under the murk of experimental art rock is what drove this album. The fact is though, these guys are not intrinsically dancey in this particular way, and as a result their take on dance music sounds like a lot of half-baked ideas jacked from Prince records and thrown awkwardly together with a smattering of their usual droning guitars and cascading vocal parts. It strikes me as a superficial harvesting of off-the-shelf "funk" sounds and rhythms, rather than a re-shaping of their existing sound into a more energized, danceable format.

This fundamental lack of natural funkiness aside, the overall sound of the production grates on my ears. I'll admit I am so heavily biased towards big, live-sounding recordings that anything less often skews my enjoyment of the songs themselves, but Dear Science sounds overly thin and plasticky to me. The drum parts especially are largely constructed from very insipid, cheesy keyboard samples that honestly wouldn't sound out of place on a Britney Spears record, except that they are not as punchy. The beats are often drowning in a sea of strings, horns and fuzz, the frontloaded, super-compressed mixdowns turning these moments into confusing onslaughts of cacophony devoid of space or nuance. Such rough patches could even be saved if there was a strong beat supporting them, but the frenetic, stuffed-to-the-gills approach of the rhythm tracks only contributes to the mess. The mix overall is very hot, and very bright, annihilating the warm ambience of Cookie Mountain or the comfortable thump of a good dance tune. The songs could be good, but the squashed, impotent production often strips them of any potential power.

I am with TV on the Radio in concept, I think that deploying their unique sonic and musical sensibilities to the dance front is a great idea, but I think they just tried too hard with this release. These truncated songs lack the ingenuity and creativity of their past work, and the tracks lack cohesion with the vocal parts. I think they should have stayed in the studio another few months and worked out their new sound, as this hopefully transitional period sounds depressingly derivative and uninspired to me, like an album of prototypes. At the same time however, it reminds me of Tricky's album Blowback, which I at first detested for its watered-down production but came to love upon revisiting it a year later...so maybe there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for Dear Science. It's certainly as forward-thinking as anything else coming out these days, but the profoundly unfocused feel of it all makes me think maybe it just wasn't ready for prime time.

I expected more from this album. While there are some amazing tracks (Halfway Home and Golden Age especially), the album generally seems to lack risk and inventiveness and the heavy production rounds most of corners and makes the music feel too empty. There is little room for excitement or surprise here. People talk about "the album as an experience" and I must say there is a lack of one here. I can't listen to Dear Science, beginning to end...it starts to sound too similar and labored. There are assuredly bright spots and I recommend checking this album out but I can only justify the massive critical acclaim for Dear Science, in believing that this is merely a good album in a weaker year for music (so far).

"Just like autumn leaves, we're in for change" - TOTR "Province"

"Album of the year," a statement that needs little debate to accentuate its logic. "Dear Science," is truly a natural progression for this band. "Return To Cookie Mountain" flourished with gritty effects and steroid infused percussions. "Dear Science," still features some of these signature effects famous of TV On The Radio. However, most gritty effects have been replaced with well orchestrated string and horn arrangements and the steroid infused percussions have been relieved by beats and timing that is just impeccable. Let me tell you, dear listener, do not worry yourself that TOTR have lost much of their sound because they have not. They have augmented it and ultimately improved upon it.

Listen to "Love Dog," the pinnacle of TOTRs new maturity, and concern yourself not that TOTRs less gritty sounds are not capable of relentless "wow." Listen to "Halfway Home" and remember why you loved TOTR for years of gritty, melodic beauty. This is my personal favorite because I am just amazed by its complete structure, a progressing song until halfway (pun intended) when the song changes up losing its current gritty edge and turns into a gorgeous atmospheric concert dominated by Tunde Adebimpe iconic falsetto vocals.

"Family Tree" shows us more of TOTRs maturity. The songs moves from the near acapella beginning to loud dominating strings, adding a repetitious piano, subtle bass and ending with a simple beat that could not be more hypnotic.

There are many more great songs to dissect to continue this grand review. However, the album itself will be much more persuading. TV On The Radio are a unique commodity. They transcend genres and blend so many styles they are truly difficult to label. Whatever you may consider them to be, the musical consensus should agree on "genius."

TV On The Radio have recorded their most listener friendly album ever. Don't let that sway you though, as the follow up to "Return To Cookie Mountain" is quite good, and doesn't scream sell out. There's not a bum track on it, which might make contemporaries like Bloc Party a little envious.

By making their music more melodious, TV On The Radio has finally garnered my full attention; I found their previous releases too obtuse. I knew the band had an excess of talent, but always found myself becoming bored with their music. It seemed like they were trying to hard, and I couldn't tell what they were getting at. Because of their previous dense recordings, it seems like TV On The Radio wanted to lighten up on this album. They did lighten up the production but not the mood, as this album is somewhat fixated on death and dying.

On this release, TV On The Radio retained their edginess, and has created an emotional album in the process. TV On The Radio wears its influences proudly as evidenced by the Peter Gabriel like opener "Halfway Home," and the Bowiesque "Red Dress." Stylistically, the album ranges from synth pop to jazz-tinged ballads. The guitar work on this album is strong as are the vocals by Tunde Adebimpe who is able to sing various styles effortlessly.

TV On The Radio has matured on this album and seems content in exploring new sonics, which has me curious to see what the future brings.

"Dear Science" sees the band "smoothing in" their eclectic nature into a more wholly cohesive and polished sound. To date, it is probably TV on the Radio's most mature and consistent example of what they do best. What that is, however, is still difficult to define. TV on the Radio aren't really songsmiths because they don't write compact melodic tunes. They aren't technicians, either, in the sense that they have astounding chops. Neither of these points is meant as a negative criticism. In fact, they point to the increasingly fluid nature of contemporary music genres. You don't have to be any of these things to make good music - just good categories.

I think that it is because of this diversity that TV on the Radio reminds me other genre-bending bands from my formative years. Admittedly, they have very little in common sonically or lyrically with Faith No More and Fishbone, but TV on the Radio engages in genre-play that recalls these bands. Because of this playful attitude, their music is shot through with a sense of innocence that is appealing and refreshing. At the same time, the socially conscious overtones of their lyrics provide a weight that keeps "Dear Science" grounded in reality.

Because of TV on the Radio's genre-hopping ways, "Dear Science" is a diverse collection of tunes. On the one hand, there are funky, groove-oriented songs like "Red Dress" and "Dancing Choose," and on the other there are more contemplative, moody "Kid A" moments like the echoed-out "Family Tree." "Dear Science" vacillates wildly between these two extremes, dipping into driving rock and hip hop along the way. I think the strongest effort is the subtly percolating "Shout Me Out." A mere clip of this song does not do it justice, though, as its very first phrase marks the beginning of a slow build that climaxes at the very last.

Just as its predecessor, "Dear Science" is haunted by the ghost of David Bowie and, more specifically, early Brian Eno. Like Eno's early work with Bowie, the diversity of sounds incorporated into the recording creates an eclectic, expansive atmosphere. Choirs, bagpipes, buzzy moogs, and reeds all conspire to swallow the voices of the individual players. However, despite this all-encompassing acoustic environment, "Dear Science" has a baffling intimacy. Tunde Adebimpe's relatively dry vocals lay atop these expansive soundscapes, in which coldly synthetic orchestras vie for attention beside handclaps and DJ stylings.

The hype that surrounds TV on the Radio seems to indicate that the misguided and politicized boundaries of the record store bins are breaking down and dissolving. Artists that would have not clearly fit into one genre or another now have more justification for standing on their own. While I admittedly lament the disappearance of the music store, I think that this stylistically fluid environment is interesting.

THE LOWDOWN: TV on the Radio is yet another perplexing and compelling band to emerge in the late 00's. Despite continuing to defy easy categorization, the band is maturing slowly and naturally. I can't help but feel that the best work of this band is still ahead of them, but in itself "Dear Science" is worth a layered listen.

Having listened to Return to Cookie Mountain several times a day for over a year, I was eagerly anticipating some new material from TVOTR. Return to Cookie Mountain is one of my all-time favorites, so I had really high expectations for Dear Science. When I first listened to it, I was sorely disappointed. Unlike Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science contained some trackes I actually disliked (a lot). I decided to give it a chance and realized it's a 'grower'... the more I listen to it, the more I like it. The last four tracks are particularly strong. I think a lot of the reviews of this album (in newspapers/magazines) are overly generous, but it is by no means a waste of money. In fact, if you are not a TVOTR fan, this album will probably appeal to you more than their others. I think it will have a more universal appeal.