Wanna Sound Cool? Say "TV on the Radio"
Whenever I'm stuck next to Some Yahoo at a party, the two of us jostling for the clam dip, Some Yahoo always asks, "So, buddy, what's good in music these days?" Some Yahoo doesn't really care about my answer, mind you. But I always answer Some Yahoo, 'cause I'm an only child, and I crave attention and approval, even from those people I despise, such as Some Yahoo. Anyway, I'll see Some Yahoo over the next two months, so here's my "good music" answer. Some Yahoo will forget the band's name as soon as I say it -- you, on the other hand, should not.
TV on the Radio
Album: Return to Cookie Mountain (Interscope)
Why we care: A few weeks ago, these Brooklyn art-rockers turned the Letterman show into a coming-out party, hammering the incendiary Wolf Like Me, a punk-meets-R&B assault that might be the most unforgettable piece of new music you hear all year.
Why we like it: Band co-founder Tunde Adebimpe, a graduate of NYU’s film school, and guitarist-singer Kyp Malone throw in all manner of sonic oddness over the course of 11 tracks. When the idea scramble works, it’s extremely good, especially on A Method, a modern doo-wop tune with a sudden militaristic twist.
Reminds us of: A little Gnarls Barkley, a little Pixies, a little Prince — brainy, shape-shifting soundscapes that are groovy and funky and brainier than the fat-headed kid scribbling behind you in algebra class.
Download these: Wolf Like Me, A Method
Grade: B+
Sean Daly is the pop music critic for the St. Petersburg Times. His CD collection -- from Journey to Dylan, Prince to U2, Public Enemy to Stan Getz -- is much bigger and better than yours.
Sean, I'm still waiting for you to give Thomas Dolby's new disc some love.
Posted by: Bassnote | November 22, 2006 at 10:18 AM
No sign of Dolby in the mailbox, Bassnote. But I'm sure Spears is curled up in bed with a copy.
Posted by: Sean Daly | November 22, 2006 at 10:57 AM