Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks)

TV on the Radio | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B000H7JDZO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,909 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Was A Lover

2. Hours

3. Province

4. Playhouses

5. Wolf Like Me

6. A Method

7. Let The Devil In

8. Dirty Whirl

9. Blues From Down Here

10. Tonight

11. Wash The Day Away

12. [ambient audio]

13. Snakes and Martyrs

14. Hours (El-P Remix)

15. Things You Can Do

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Their second album and first for Interscope is almost wholly brilliant. Like Mogwai, Sigur Ros and a dozen others, TVOTR excels at making slowly-evolving tunes with vaguely anthemic choruses and lots of loud-soft dynamics. Unlike virtually any of those other bands, TV on the Radio mix a genuine and actual songwriting ability with their knack for finding sounds that appear to be "new." This record is crisper-sounding and incorporates more dance-based elements, but it's essentially a pop album. While the lack of the free web-released "Dry Drunk Emperor, a tribute to President Bush, is initially a bummer, the album percolates with enough pre-apocalyptic tension to satisfy anyone. In a Prince-pitched falsetto, the group sings "I was a lover/ Before this war," While throughout, the combination of melody and invention is always pitch-perfect (well, except on "Province" and "Let the Devil In," those songs sort of suck.) People of Earth: please make this band into total superstars and buy several copies of their album: one for the car, another for the office, etc. What we really need in our popular music is more weirdness, and more truth. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Since 2001, TV on the Radio have been mixing postpunk, electronic and other atmospheric elements in such a creative way that it only seems fitting that it's core duo, Tunde Adebimpe and David Andrew Sitek, are both visual artists as well as musicians. For example, Tunde is a graduate of NYU's film school and specializes in stop motion animation. The duo met when Sitek moved into the building where Tunde had a loft; each of them had been recording music on their own. They soon realized that their sounds would work well together which resulted in a self-titled, 24-track CD released by the Brooklyn Milk imprint. TV on the Radio then added guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone to their fold. The band has now returned with 'Return to Cookie Mountain,' a more polished but still soul-searching collection of songs. The Interscope release is set for September 12, and its' atmospheric blend of soul, experimental, and avant-garde rock is sure to open the minds and ears of those who listen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Return to TV on the Radio, September 12, 2006

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks) (Audio CD)

TV on the Radio gave some serious reinvention to indie rock, with their debut "Desperate Youth Blood Thirsty Babes." Then they sort of dropped off for awhile, apparently to tinker with their future sound.

Well, "Return to Cookie Mountain" is an evolution of what they've done before -- the art-rock sound, the grimy electro, and the rough edges that don't need polishing.This isn't quite "there" enough to be their masterpiece, but TV on the Radio is definitely sounding wonderfully mature.

It starts off with the year's best intro -- drum beats, clashes, and an offbeat horn symphony that cuts itself off, before repeating again. As the jagged electronic beats come on, Tunde Adepimbe begins to croon, "I was a lover/before this war... I'm locked in my bedroom/so send back the clowns..." It's a bittersweet song with a warm, rich feeling.

The closest thing they have to typical rock is the heart-pounding "Wolf Like Me," with its howled bridges and eerie feeling, and the expansive, tinkling, explosive "Playhouses." There's also the rustling, stomping art-rock of "Let the Devil In," the swirling electro-rock, the soul-rock, and the epic bass-rock of the finale "Wash the Day Away."

Don't expect TV on the Radio to really rock out in "Return to Cookie Mountain," since they got recognition for their equally dense debut. The songs that follow are too grandiose, too looped, and too dense to be toe-tappers. The only real flaw is their tendency to sometimes neglect music in place of atmosphere -- although even their failures are fascinating.

And that atmosphere is of a dangerous, beautiful place -- campfires, tribal dances, wild animals and flying over mountains. The repetitive drums, bass and more typical instruments are loaded down with flutes, samples, electronic beats, mellotron, cymbals. It's all tangled into a series of loosely-strung, hypnotic melodies that seem to swirl around on themselves.

But the most hypnotic instrument is the vocals. Adepimbe can be deep and soulful, desperate howls, or higher and soaring; either way, he hasn't got the typical disinterested rock voice. And the jumbled, colourful lyrics are hard to make out at times, and eventually they simple become another repetitive pattern in the music.

TV on the Radio have one-upped themselves with "Return to Cookie Mountain," and yet there's a feeling of unfulfilled promise, hinting that they'll get even better as time goes on.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their best, September 12, 2006

By 

J. Cacciola "GWP" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks) (Audio CD)

Oh, how I was wrong about this band. Well, that's what two years will do for you.


Brooklyn's T.V. on the Radio have received consistent praise from various magazines and online publications over the past couple of years for their definitive blend of electronica, soul, jazz, a cappella, and indie pop. Their major label debut on Interscope Records, "Return to Cookie Mountain," expands their sprawling sound even further to yield one of the best albums of the year.

The name 'Cookie Mountain' sounds like something from a Mario game. In fact, it is the name of a level in the Super Nintendo title, Super Mario World. The record isn't an exercise in video game knowledge or something that would immediately remind you of a 16-bit musical score, but there are hints of beeps, blips, and scratches from sampling embedded in their music. Overdubs and constant instrumentation prevail; a constant motion, an urgency, much like a video game. Perhaps that is a interpretation of "Return to Cookie Mountain"; a return to their true, cultivated sound once promised on their debut EP, "Young Liars."

What really makes "Cookie Mountain" such a brilliant record is its ability to indulge. However, T.V. on the Radio aren't over-indulgent; their response to their audience is one of patience with long, developed songs. Perhaps I was too quick to dismiss their first full-length album, "Desperate Youth Blood Thirsty Babes" when I purchased it in late 2004. It didn't initially hold my interest, because of other musical pursuits, but it showed a glimpse of what is captured here. Their live act has expanded considerably since then, aiding their evolving sound.

The first track, "I was a Lover" features a looping sample of a trumpet with the shoegaze-like distortion of guitar and synthesized drum beat from instrumentalist and producer, David Sitek. Guitarist and vocalist Kyp Malone jumps in and croons, "I was a lover before this war" pushing the album into familiar yet intriguing territory.

"Province" slowly eases into a beautiful, sweeping piano melody amidst Interpol-like guitar structured verse and chorus. Long time fan of the band, David Bowie, makes an appearance on this track, singing alongside lead vocalist, Tunde Adebimpe.

Jaleel Bunton's percussion initiates "Wolf like Me", the first single, a quick, wild, and expansive song while being still being very contained and poppy.

"A Method" incorporates some of the a cappella elements (amongst whistling and clapping) experimented with on "Ambulance" and their cover of The Pixies' "Mr. Grieves." The song truly shines as an instantly catchy gem, worthy of airplay like the prior track, "Wolf like Me."

"Dirtywhirl" is another standout, beginning softly and then exploding into a soulful vocally driven masterpiece.

Each song distinguishes itself from one another, unfurling without losing the sort of cohesion needed for continuous play.

To compensate for the delayed U.S. release, Interscope has provided three bonus songs, the quirky "Snakes and Martyrs," a slower, more electronic version of "Hours" (El-P Remix), and the low-key groovy "Things You Can Do."

Nearly every print publication has raved about the album: Rolling Stone, Spin, Filter, Paste, and Q. In addition, Pitchfork Media, Stylus Magazine, and Tiny Mix Tapes have given the album some of their highest marks.

The only flaw with the main album is that it may be considered too expansive at 56 minutes. Many of the songs are lengthy and require a dedicated ear. There will be comparisons to Radiohead, but T.V. on the Radio manage to create an entirely original sound. "Return to Cookie Mountain" is dense but a highly fulfilling listen. It may take several weeks for some of these songs to peak, but you will return to the mountain many times.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most brilliant albums of 2006, July 18, 2006

By 

Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return to Cookie Mountain (Audio CD)

I was not a huge fan of TV on the Radio's previous album, DESPERATE YOUTH, BLOOD THIRSTY BABES. It was filled with interesting sounds and ideas, but they simply didn't coalesce for me into anything especially compelling or exciting. I'm not sure what happened between that album and RETURN TO COOKIE ALBUM, but whatever it was this is easily one of the most stunning albums I have listened to in a long time.

Not everything on this CD is gold, but all of it is at least very interesting, and at least two cuts stand out as among the best cuts of 2006, and "Playhouses" just might be my favorite song of the year so far. The individual moments are just as interesting and fascinating as on the earlier album, but this time the songs are definitely both exciting and compelling. The other album in the end failed to be truly musical, but this one is exhilaratingly so.

I'm not quite sure who to compare this album to. At times they definitely remind me of Pere Ubu, but not consistently so. Tunde Adepimbe's vocals are truly unique and really don't call to mind any other singer. The band also stands out as arguably the best mainly black rock band since Bad Brains.

I have only three complaints with the disc, complaints that do not outweigh the tremendous delight that I experience listening to the album. First, there are times when I respect it more than like it. Although "Playhouses" and "Dirtywhirl" are sounds that thrill and delight on nearly every level, there are other songs that are interesting only insofar as they are complex and challenging. Second, not all the material is up to the level of the very best songs; this is mitigated by the fact that there are a bevy of really fine songs. Finally, while I love the timbre of Tunde Adepimbe's voice, the band's technique of multi-layering his vocals sometimes obscures the lyrics. Although I have perfect pitch and have always been musical, I also have a sharp high-range hearing loss (the result of a jerk throwing a fire cracker at my head when I was twelve--instant traumatic hearing loss). The main way this effects my enjoyment of music is that I sometimes struggle to make out lyrics (I can easily hear vowels, but consonants on CD sometimes fall into the range of my hearing loss). There are entire songs on this album where I cannot make out more than two or three lines. It definitely impedes the enjoyment of the songs.

Still, this is simply a wonderful album. I simply can't get enough of "Playhouses," but love "Dirtywhirl" very nearly as much. Other highlights include "Hours," "A Method," "Let the Devil In," "I Was a Lover," and "Tonight."

I want to close by saying that while TV on the Radio is often described as an art-rock band--a description that for me, with my preference for garage and punk rock, is usually a dirty word--I didn't find them off putting and pretentious in the least, as I often do with such acts. This is just great music and should excite anyone who loves great music whatever its genre.