Album Review: Heligoland

With their fifth studio album release, has Massive Attack yet again made an ‘awe-worthy’ record with Heligoland?  This album starts out with a nice chilled out track featuring Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio, and “Paradise Circus,” which features that porn-laden music video, may deserve repeat listens. Heligoland has many featured artists on it; one being the always-chosen vocalist, Horace Andy (he was also featured on the track “Angel” off Massive Attack’s third studio album Mezzanine). The album also includes drum tracks contributed by the recently deceased Jerry Fuchs from !!!. However, the duo seems to have lost their gothic sound from past albums, which makes Heligoland just “another Massive Attack album.”

There isn’t one track on the album that I can honestly say, “I really want to listen to that song again.”  Heligoland has a deluxe version available on iTunes with six remixed versions of songs off the album. Is it sad to say that the remixed songs are the best part of the album? Besides that, there will also be a vinyl release of the album available shortly. And the next thing to look for from Massive Attack is an upcoming EP that will be released May 2010. It will feature tracks from previous tours that are not included on this album. Though most of the Massive Attack albums are great to listen to, this one is surely one to fall asleep to.

Fishpork’s 100 Favorite Tracks of the 2000s

This is an attempt at the impossible. Here are our 100 favorite songs of the past decade (featuring multiple tracks from Animal Collective, The Knife, Radiohead, and Elliott Smith). Our top two choices are more like 1a and 1b. Be patient, as the page needs to load the embedded songs.

1. Panda Bear - “Bros” (2007)

2. The Knife - “We Share Our Mother’s Health” (2006)

3. Animal Collective - “For Reverend Green” (2007)

4. Grizzly Bear - “While You Wait For The Others” (2009)

5. The Knife - “Heartbeats” (2003)

6. Grizzly Bear - “The Knife” (2005)

7. LCD Soundsystem - “Someone Great” (2007)

8. TV on the Radio - “Staring at the Sun” (2003)

9. Crystal Castles - “Crimewave” (2008)

10. Beirut - “Ciloqut” (2007)

11. Thom Yorke - “Harrowdown Hill

12. Animal Collective - “Derek” (2007)

13. Nine Inch Nails - “Me, I’m Not” (2007)

14. Beck - “Lonesome Tears” (2002)

15. At The Drive-in - “One Armed Scissor” (2004)

16. Animal Collective - “Grass” (2005)

17. Deerhunter - “Nothing Ever Happened” (2008)

18. Atlas Sound - “Recent Bedroom” (2008)

19. Panda Bear - “Comfy in Nautica” (2007)

20. System of a Down - “Chop Suey” (2001)

21. Animal Collective - “Peacebone” (2007)

22. Battles - “Atlas” (2007)

23. Error - “Jack the Ripper” (2004)

24. Enon - “Pleasure and the Privilege”

25. Elliott Smith - “Son of Sam” (2000)

26. Animal Collective - “Did You See the Words” (2005)

27. The Knife - “Marble House” (2006)

28. LCD Soundsystem - “All My Friends” (2007)

29. Thom Yorke - “Analyse” (2006)

30. The Flaming Lips - “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell” (2002)

31. Girl Talk - “Smash Your Head” (2006)
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32. A Perfect Circle - “Judith” (2000)

33. Radiohead - “Idioteque” (2000)

34. Tapes N’ Tapes - “Manitoba” (2006)

35. TV On The Radio - “I Was A Lover” (2006)

36. Radiohead - “Reckoner” (2007)

37. Fever Ray - “Coconut” (2009)

38. Animal Collective - “My Girls” (2009)

39. Built to Spill - “Things Fall Apart” (2009)

40. Wilco - “I’m Trying to Break Your Heart” (2002)

41. Modest Mouse - “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” (2000)

42. Animal Collective - “Leaf House” (2004)

43. Modeselektor - “Happy Birthday” (2007)

44. Arcade Fire - “Wake Up” (2004)

45. Autolux - “Blanket” (2004)

46. MGMT - “Time to Pretend” (2007)

47.  Built to Spill - “Conventional Wisdom” (2006)

48. Wilco - “Side With the Seeds” (2007)

49. Elliott Smith - “Happiness/The Gondola Man” (2000)

50. Avey Tare - “I’m Your Eagle Kisser” (2007)

51. Department of Eagles - “Waves of Rye” (2008)

52. Animal Collective - “Summertime Clothes” (2009)

53. Radiohead - “2+2 = 5″ (2003)

54. Dredg - “Sang Real” (2005)

55. While Lies - “Farewell to the Fairground” (2009)

56. Grizzly Bear - “Ready, Able” (2009)

57. Matisyahu - “King Without a Crown” (2005)

58. Modest Mouse - “Paper Thin Walls” (2000)

59. Dillinger Escape Plan - “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things” (2002)

60. Elliott Smith - “Twilight” (2004)

61. Deerhunter - “Flourescent Grey” (2007)

62. Holy Fuck - “Lovely Allen” (2007)

63. LCD Soundsystem - “Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up” (2006)

64. The Notwist - “Boneless (Panda Bear Remix)” (2008)

65. Liars - “Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend” (2004)

66. The Mars Volta - “Inertiatic E.S.P.” (2003)

67. The Notwist - “Solitaire” (2002)

68. Of Montreal - “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” (2007)

69. Queens of the Stone Age - “Tangled Up in Plaid” (2005)

70. Radiohead - “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” (2007)

71. Saul Williams - “Raised To Be Lowered” (2007)

72. Autolux - “Great Days for the Passenger Element” (2004)

73. Sigur Ros - “Untitled 8″ (2002)

74. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - “Maps” (2003)

75. Portishead - “Threads” (2008)

76. Sufjan Stevens - “Chicago” (2005)

77. Ugly Casanova - “Things I Don’t Remember” (2002)

78. Animal Collective - “Brothersport” (2009)

79. Radiohead - “Pyramid Song” (2001)

80. Nine Inch Nails - “Only” (2005)

81. El-P - “Flyentology” (2007)

82. Queens of the Stone Age - “No One Knows” (2002)

83. Ghostface Killah - “Shakey Dog” (2006)

84. Modest Mouse - “Missed the Boat” (2007)

85. UNKLE - “Persons and Machinery” (2007)

86. Amon Tobin - “Verbal” (2002)

87. The White Stripes - “Denial Twist” (2005)
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88. Tomahawk - “Captain Midnight” (2003)

89. Modest Mouse - “Bukowski” (2004)

90. Sigur Ros - “Hoppipolia” (2005)

92. Fuck Buttons - “Sweet Love For Planet Earth” (2008)

93. Bon Iver - “Skinny Love” (2008)

94. Built to Spill - “In Your Mind” (2001)

95. The White Stripes - “Icky Thump” (2007)

96. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - “We Are Rockstars” (2008)

97. Dub Trio - “Not Alone” (2006)

98. Modest Mouse - “The World At Large”

99. The Walkmen - “In the New Year” (2008)

100. Nine Inch Nails - “The Great Destroyer (Modwheelmood Remix)” (2007)

Fishpork’s Favorite Albums of the 2000s

Compiling a list of your favorite albums for an entire decade is quite the challenge, especially when that decade was as strong as the 2000s were. Six of our favorites come from two bands (Animal Collective and Radiohead), and two were from this past year (Veckatimest and Merriweather Post Pavilion). This list is by no means a definitive statement of the best music from last decade. Instead, these are our favorite albums that were on heavy rotation in our iPods and scrobbled endlessly on Last.FM.

1. Strawberry Jam (2007) - Animal Collective

2. Silent Shout (2006) - The Knife

3. The Moon and Antarctica (2000) -  Modest Mouse

4. Kid A (2000) - Radiohead

5. Figure 8 (2000) - Elliott Smith

6. Veckatimest (2009) - Grizzly Bear

7. De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) - The Mars Volta

8. Future Perfect (2004) - Autolux

9. The Eraser (2006) - Thom Yorke

10. Person Pitch (2007) - Panda Bear

11. Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) - TV on the Radio

12. Sea Change (2002) - Beck

13. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) - Wilco

14. High Society (2002) - Enon

15. The Loon (2006) - Tapes N’ Tapes

16. Microcastle (2008) - Deerhunter

17. Feels (2005) - Animal Collective

18. Sound of Silver (2007) - LCD Soundsystem

19. In Rainbows (2007) - Radiohead

20. Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) - Animal Collective

MP3: “Give Blood” by Rain Machine (Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio)

TV on the Radio’s bass player and falsetto co-vocalist Kyp Malone has a new solo project called Rain Machine that will release on September 22. Download the first track “Give Blood’ here or stream it below:

Album Review: Dark Was The Night

Compilation releases rarely get much consideration on end-of-year lists, but this year’s Dark Was The Night will defy that logic. Produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from The National, the album’s proceeds go to the Red Hot Organization, a charity that raises money for HIV and AIDS. The double-length effort will not engage all the way through, as there are some snoozers mixed throughout. It’s obvious that many of the artists appearing on the album saved their best work for their own records (see Arcade Fire’s “Lenin”). However, the standout tracks make the album somewhat worthy of all the praise it has received so far this year.

Standout songs include the epic “You Are The Blood” by Sufjan Stevens. The 10-minute track is a reworking (and improvement) of a song by the Castanets, who appear on Steven’s Asthmatic Kitty label. An additional remix of the song appears on disc two, titled “Blood Pt. 2.” The track features a reworking of Steven’s song by Canadian hip hop artist, Buck 65. 2009 seems to belong to Brooklyn-based indie favorites Grizzly Bear, who appear on disc one twice. The band’s “Deep Blue Sea” is a whispery, melodic gem, and “Service Bell” is a haunting collaboration with ex-tourmate Feist. The most surprising track is a solo effort by TV On The Radio mastermind David Sitek. “With A Girl Like You” is a Trogg’s cover highlighted by Sitek’s usual tight production, an anthemic horn section, and baritone vocals. Although the album does not provide the grandiose indie rock statement that many bloggers have written about, there is enough good stuff here to keep listeners engaged for weeks.

A live performance of several songs on the album took place this past Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. Check out three of the better tracks from the album here:

http://www.myspace.com/darkwasthenight

February’s Fresh Pork Cuts

Mark’s:

• Fever Ray - “Triangle Walks”
• Sufjan Stevens - “You Are The Blood”
• Lotus Plaza - “Red Oak Way”
• The Flaming Lips - “Anything You Say Now I Believe You”
• Animal Collective - “What Would I Want Sky”

Pete’s:

• Morrissey - “Mama Lay Softly on the RIverbed”
• Dälek  - “We Lost Sight”
• Lotus Plaza - “Whiteout”
• TV on the Radio “Heroes” (Bowie Cover)
• Fever Ray - “Concrete Walls”

The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2008

Remember this era in music. It’s a special one. We’re going to look back and talk about it like we talk about the 60s or 70s. I used to miss all the great bands that came out of the 90s, but my longing for the hay days of grunge and industrial has since dissipated. Go ahead and disagree, but this is a renaissance period for music. This year was no exception. In fact, it served as an endless discovery period of great bands and classic albums. However, our favorite album of 2008 was not a difficult choice at all. Here is our list of favorite albums of 2008:

1. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
2. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
3. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
4. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
5. Eric Avery - Help Wanted
6. Elf Power - In a Cave
7. Guns N’ Roses - Chinese Democracy
8. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
9. Tapes N’ Tapes - Walk It Off
10. Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
11. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
12. Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
13. Portishead - Third
14. Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
15. Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power - Dark Developments
16. Ladytron - Velocifero
17. The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
18. First Wave Hello - God Bless, Devil You
19. Fuck Buttons - Street Horsssing
20. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
    

Honorable Mentions:

• Dub Trio - Another Sound is Dying
• Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
• Health - Disco

Most Disappointing Albums:

• Beck - Modern Guilt
• SexTapes - SexTapes
• UNKLE - End Title . . . Stories For Film

Most Overrated Albums:

• Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
• Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
• Cold Play - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

Fishpork will post our favorite songs and live shows of the year next week. Check back soon!

Deerhunter @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Last year at this time, a talentless music blogger named Jeff Weiss from L.A. wrote about Deerhunter being the worst live band he’s ever seen:

Deerhunter’s live show reminds me of the first scene in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where Bill and Ted awkwardly flail at their instruments while bitching elliptically about the necessity of making a triumphant video to get Eddie Van Halen to teach them how to play guitar. Nowadays, you don’t even need a triumphant video, you just need a good Pitchfork review, which is what the Atlanta noise-rock outfit Deerhunter got earlier this year. Suddenly, in an Emperor’s New Clothing–esque turn, a group whose biggest discernible talent is its knack for self-promotion became one of the biggest buzz bands in indie rock. Let’s hope that, in the span between now and the Fuck Yeah Fest, George Carlin can drop down to Earth in a phone booth and teach them how to no longer be bogus.

Mr. Weiss represents the only reason Fishpork exists. Sure, it’s a great place to keep a journal of all the great shows and records I listen to. However, music is subjective and ALL reviews are ultimately meaningless. The only thing that interests me is writing about things I enjoy. For those bloggers who choose to write about how bad they think a band sucks, I feel bad for your shallow personalities and outlook on the world. Music can heal you. And if you were part of the crowd on Friday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, you experienced this first hand. I recently read a review of Deerhunter that stated the band can only be listened to in a state of intoxication (with your drug of choice). This statement is rather offensive to me. Deerhunter makes music that replaces your drug of choice. Their songs, especially when played live, are a revelation and are changing the way I perceive music.

Peter and I arrived at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn toward the end of New Times Viking’s opening set. They sounded great, but we were experiencing too much anticipation to fully comprehend. As the set ended and the techs began to set up for the headlining act, we made our way to the front of the stage. This was a completely different experience than the previous night at the NIN show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. At that show, we were in the midst of the most obnoxious crowd of all-time. Nine Inch Nails’ fans are notorious for booing opening acts, and this was no different. It was a shame that a very good live band like Health had to deal with a crowd (only there to hear “Closer”) with absolutely no taste in music. Fortunately, Trent Reznor’s knack for choosing opening acts has been a major source of discovery for me, including TV on the Radio, Autolux, Saul Williams, Crystal Castles, and most recently Deerhunter on the first leg of his current tour. Enough about how much NIN fans suck.

Before Friday night I suspected that Deerhunter was less about Bradford Cox than I originally imagined. That inclination was squashed immediately after the ubiquitous frontman took the stage. Cox has been known to occasionally wear dresses on stage, a habit he admits was picked up from Kurt Cobain. “Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain kissed, and Kurt wore dresses. There’s no way to overestimate the influence Nirvana had on me,” he admits. The Deerhunter frontman was the center of attention, not because of his extroverted personality, but because of his play on his heavily reverbed and distorted lead guitar, xylophone, and drowned out vocals. Cox even sang the lyrics and played lead guitar on “Agoraphobia,” which features guitarist and Cox’s best friend, Locket Pundt, on vocals on the album.

The show included an epic performance of new fan favorite “Nothing Ever Happened,” which included a mind-numbing guitar solo from Cox and impeccable attention to detail by the rest of the players. The three guitar arrangement on many of the songs creates a sound that relies on noisy, droning textures and borrows from bands like My Bloody Valentine and Liars. But Deerhunter avoids what has already been done and creates their own sound. The soundscapes they create contain other elements not present in those bands.

As good as Deerhunter are and as inspired as they are to release meaningful music, it’s important to keep in mind how young they are (Cox is 26). That youthful exhuberence showed Friday as Cox joked all night, especially with new guitarist and old high school friend, Whitney Petty. Cox asked the audience if they’d rather see Whitney play the blues on her guitar or do a hand stand (Petty was a cheerleader in high school and has been known to wear her uniform during shows). Before the crowd could respond, she was in the middle of the stage on her hands. Petty then snuck up behind Cox and played a blues riff on his guitar. The antics hit their climax when Petty proceeded to lift the lanky Cox on her shoulders, as the crowd stood by and admired.

A highlight included Cox taking two song requests to end the show. The band played the first song shouted from the crowd, which was “Heatherwood,” from their second album Cryptograms. Kudos to the tech crew and sound mixers at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. The sound was perfect, and the band sounded as close to the album as one could hope. Cox’s lyrics were completely distinguishable from the guitar twangs and light percussion, as he repeated the song’s chorus, “was not seen again.” The band was not actually planning on taking another request, but Cox coaxed his band mates into it. At one point, he approached drummer Moses Archuleta and practically begged him to play another song. The second request came from a guy standing right next to me, and he must have been reading my mind. After a false start, Cox admitted the band was unprepared to play the song but soon began an amazing rendition of “Operation.” Cox spit out the agonizingly dark lyrics, “Cover your ears, you’re not gonna like what you’re gonna hear, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”

Deerhunter’s show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Friday night was the best concert I’ve attended in my lifetime. Although I probably go to upwards of twenty shows a year, I honestly don’t think anything else has come close to that musical experience. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was quoted as saying Deerhunter’s live show borders on “a religious experience,” and I agree. Doesn’t this speak volumes about how music is a personal experience?

Mr. Cox responded to Mr. Weiss’ blog post with an exchange that was too priceless not to include here:

it’s bradford! from deerhunter! i was just wondering if maybe you
could give us some quick EMERGENCY lessons on our instruments
before our set sunday. we are kind of nervous… you know L.A. = big
city = could be our big break. we don’t want to look stupid so if you
could just teach the guitar players some basic power chords or
something it would really help us out. i’ll be busy giving blowjobs to other
more talented (notable) music journalists so as to keep those good reviews
rolling in.

look forward to seeing you this weekend
your pal,
brad

The entire exchange is worth your time and can be read here. Although he’s freaked out by dissonant hipsters in the front row of shows, Bradford Cox is inspired by kindness and doesn’t care what you think about his music. “I don’t give a fuck what they say about me, because I’m a white-trash queer who might live to be 30 if I’m lucky,” says Cox. Although Cox’s lyrics are often used as therapy for an ostracized childhood, some of the motivation behind the music is physical healing (see Fishpork review of Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.). He makes music for fans who need a soundtrack to cope and is just trying to make as much of it as he can while he’s still alive. This is good news for the music world!

Rolling Stone has uploaded an exclusive acoustic performance of Bradford Cox singing “Never Stops” outside of a convenience store in Brooklyn hours before the show: http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/video/24261318/breaking_deerhunter.

http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com
http://myspace.com/deerhunter

TV on the Radio @ The Electric Factory

When I first listened to TV On The Radio’s latest album, Dear Science, it didn’t hit me.  I was in the middle of a huge Of Montreal  infatuation and just wasn’t ready to digest it yet.  One week later, I was blown away by the textures and the contours of the Dear Science landscape. Knowing I had a ticket to their Philly show made me one happy man.

Last time TVOTR toured the area they played the Starlight Ballroom (also in Philly) , which was arguably the best show of 2006.  It was an all out, jaw-dropping show and one of the best live performances I had ever seen.  Their increase in popularity brought them to a bigger venue this time around, but their set transitioned perfectly to the Electric Factory stage.   Sounding audible at The Factory is no small task.  Case in point, The Dirtbombs opened up the night with a less than memorable set.   They finished not long after 9, and the crowd started to get impatient waiting for TVOTR to take the stage.  10pm came and went and still no band.  However, a few minutes after 10, the band filed out and the crowd was paradisiacally electrified as if not one minute had passed.

As they began with the title track from debut EP Young Liars, it was clear that the low-fi ambiance of TVOTR’s sound was mixed to perfection, even over a soundsystem that can swallow the mix of even teh best bands. “The Wrong Way” came next, before weaving in new songs that balanced a consummate set list.  The docile crowd roared with the opening synth bass chaos of “Dancing Choose.”   The contrast between  the Buddha-like Kyp Malone and the wild, picturesque arm swings and pumping chest bumps from Tunde Adebimpe was an esthetical scene to watch.

The vocals of Kyp Malone, guitarist and falsetto genious, are dramatically more prominant on Dear Science, then previous LPs.  While he has always contributed to the lyrics, frontman Tunde Adebimpe had performed most of the lead vocals.   Malone’s rise has also made him more of the focus on stage, as he traded lead vocals with Adebimpe on this night.  Malone even played bass on several songs, while bassist Gerard Smithle did his samples and MIDI keys behind him.

Producer and guitarist David Andrew Sitek’s commanding guitar playing set the mood of the show with intricate rhythms that blended perfectly with  Malone’s “Golden Age” funk riffs and his slick lead on “Halfway Home.”  The show also featured a live horn section which slithered beneath the mix artfully.  Jaleel Bunton’s drums were tight, and he often looked to Malone to sync up when adding some impromptu drum fills.

“Golden Age” followed by “Wolf Like Me” were obvious crowd pleasers and riled the crowd into an unlikely mosh pit.  In between songs Malone asked the crowd to go see Adebimpe’s movie Rachel Getting Married, which he plays alongside Anne Hathaway.  Adebimpe modestly shook his head, trying to pull away the attention from his moonlighting acting gig.  The band then started the calm intro for “Shout Me Out” before the feverish pace of double-time drums happily cracked open the ease of tranquility only a few bands could pull off.

After the band opened the encore with the melodic and seductive “Love Dog,” each band member put down their guitars and picked up a different type of persussion instrument to bang on, much like their set two years before.  With Malone on wood block, Sitek on water-tom drum and Adeblimpe on one-handed symbol, the band went into the Return to Cookie Mountain track “A Method.”   As the song winded down, Sitek pounded on his drum, lighting up the stage with a liquid fireworks display before the band went into ”Staring At The Sun” concluding a brilliant evening of musical foreplay.

TV on the Radio’s musicianship and energy just completely overwhelm you in the most satisfying way possible.  If you like TV on the Radio because of the well produced soundscapes of their studio recordings, or their unique swirling dirge of beautiful lyrics, you will truly fall in love with them as a live act.  Add “See a TV on the Radio Show” to your bucket list now.

Set List:

Young Liars
The Wrong Way
Dancing Choose
Golden Age
Wolf Like Me
Halfway Home
Province
Dreams
Blues From Down Here
Shout Me Out
Satellite

Encore:
Love Dog
A Method
Staring at the Sun

TV on the Radio and the Whore of Babylon

Simply put, Return to Cookie Mountain is one of the best musical compositions recorded in the last decade. So how on Earth do you follow up a modern-day masterpiece? You don’t try. You reinvent your sound and do what you do best: challenge the ears of convention and explore new sounds. TV on the Radio doesn’t write songs. They compose pulsing soundscapes with melodic hooks and falsetto wordplay. And on their latest LP, Dear Science, the Brooklyn natives have upped the antie on what music can mean to fans in a time of greed, corruption and environmental devastation. TV on the Radio can now be mentioned, along with Radiohead, in the conversation about the most talented bands on the planet.

The apocalypse is here, and TV on the Radio are your tour guides. The release of Dear Science, couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. In the midst of environmental decay, the collapse of an eroding financial system, and a presidential election that will change the world forever, TV on the Radio choose their fights carefully. In a time where uncertainty awaits us at every turn, music can be our solace. To put it bluntly, these factors put Dear Science, up there with Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping for album of the year.

The album is all about its lyrics, and they have never been better. The themes have not changed much, but the words are harsh and thrashing. Guitarist Kip Malone’s presence is more pronounced, as he’s credited with the lyrics on five of eleven tracks. Malone leaves no stone unturned with his accusations, “Fuck your war | Cause I’m fat and in love and no bombs are falling on me for sure | But I’m scared to death that I’m living a life not worth dying for.” His tone is unapproving and thwarting, yet his voice remains soulful and euphonic.

Tunde Adebimpe, Malone’s lyrical counterpart and liaison, is equally up to task. His vocal styles are fresh and add depth to each track. On the album’s third track, Dancing Choose, Adebimpe rap/sings/talks for extended verses, rhyming off-beat melodies and never losing breath. His style doesn’t overshadow the content of his words. His lyrics require more analysis of meaning than do Malone’s, but it doesn’t take long to figure out his gripes and warnings: “And the half-hearted hologram, posed for the party | now he gloss full bleed on a deaf dumb tree | cod liver dollar signs, credit card autograph down for the record but not for freedom.”

Dave Sitek’s production is somewhat minimalist here compared to Return. The electronic blips and beeps and are still here, but the songs are more straightforward. There is less noise (see “Staring at the Sun” from the album Desparate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes) than on previous releases. You can almost say this is TV on the Radio’s attempt at going mainstream. Before the mudslinging and accusations of “selling out” are aimed at TVOTR, recognize the beauty in these compositions. The band incorporates more instruments than ever, and the tracks are more complex and layered. For example, on the album’s first single, Golden Age, one can hear a sax, trumpet, trombone, cello, conga, viola, and two violins. The result is musical euphoria wrapped in a political conscience.

Early on, there was a perception that TV on the Radio was not a great live band. I’m not sure where that came from, but it has since been dismissed twofold. The greatest concert I’ve ever attended was a TVOTR gig in Philadelphia two years ago. The band is currently on tour again, and a Fishpork review of their last Philly show is coming shortly. The band has already made videos for two of the album’s tracks (Golden Age and Dancing Choose), and both can be seen here:

The entire album is being streamed on the band’s MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/tvotr

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