Customer Reviews

New Health Rock

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Because Amazon hasn't posted the details yet, let me:

The latest from TotR, 3 tracks.
1. New Health Rock, 4:03
2. The Wrong Way, 4:39
3. Modern Romance, 4:11

The Wrong Way is the first track from their LP, Desperate Youth Blood Thirsty Babes. New Health Rock and Modern Romance are more of the same. If you liked previous TV On The Radio releases, get this, you'll like it too. If you haven't heard any TV On The Radio before, first go check out their fabulous EP, Young Liars.

Even though I have been a TVOTR fan for some time, I overlooked their single "New Health Rock" back when it was released in 2004. It's an interesting, if not spectacular, composition from the group. I enjoy the track's primitive, sorta punk meets house vibe, but it plays more like a fun demo recording than a full-fledged song. I have always got time for the jazzy,poetic "Wrong Way" and their "Modern Romance" cover is a nice and moving ambient number. The thing I like most about this disc is that it showcases the band's extensive stylistic range.

I don't see how happy review warrior calls the two new tracks 'more of the same'; 'New Health Rock' displays TvOTR in a newer light. The title track is much more upbeat than anything they'd done at the time, with a hint of surf punk thrown into the mix. 'Modern Romance', cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' song, goes beyond the original version's guitar and drums instrumentation with electronic and ambient influence with truly great vocals.

And while 'The Wrong Way' does work well into the mix, the band could easily have put maybe 'You Could Be Love', an LP outtake, on it for some more substantiality, but oh well, still a great extra couple tracks that really shows the evolution of the band, a necessity for fans.

TV on the Radio are among the unlikely hit bands, capturing a wider audience than anybody expected. The "New Health Rock" EP is an interesting three songs, albeit not entirely rewarding ones: two are extremely good, but the middle one is a bit of a fizzer.

The title track is a gritty, dancey song that gives a heady twist to typically catchy rock. Wedged in the middle is the well-named "Wrong Way" -- it sounds like it could've been a good song, but that the band never quite figured out what to do in it. Finishing things up is a murky, dark cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Modern Romance," complete with zombie vocals and electronic twiddles.

It's always a good sign when a young band experiments with their sound -- it ensures that the fans won't become bored, and the sound won't get stagnant. So it's good that TV on the Radio is stretching their wings into funkier, dancey indierock rather than resting on their laurels.

Not all experiments work. "Wrong Way" tried hard to be a weird experimental song, but it's too loose and meandering. However, the title track and ghostly Yeah Yeah Yeahs covers are excellent samples of TV on the Radio's rock style -- heavy, thick music paired with low growly vocals, almost like chants.

"New Health Rock" isn't a total success, but the first and last songs are definitely worth a listen. Here's hoping TV on the Radio goes off in those directions.

2 1/2

Worth getting for the great first track, but unnecesary because of the other two. Salvage as a single file if possible.

This is an excellent follow up EP. Different than Staring At The Sun, simular writing styles in both music and words but with a lot of funk.