TV On The Radio – Dear Science

Genre – Experimental Rock

Label – 4AD/Interscope

Quick Take: The art rock that stays crispy in milk

Get it if: You’ve wanted to always be a fan of art rock but didn’t attend Berklee.

Don’t get it if: You’ve had the same haircut since high school.

Any time someone mentions “art” or “experimental” when it comes to music, one often thinks of recordings of a humming refrigerator or loops of people throwing silverware down a flight of stairs. Fear not mainstream-music-loving naysayers, TV On The Radio has managed to make an extremely entertaining album while still being true to their mission. Although I wouldn’t say this is the most accessible album out there these days, TV On The Radio has done a fantastic job of guiding us gently into the shallow end of the art rock pool, rather than throwing us into the deep end.

If I had to describe this album in one word, it would be “tasty”. I don’t think the band is actively trying to throw together the most eclectic collection of songs possible, but each song is very unique while still allowing the album to come together as a unit. My favorite songs on the album (the funkier pop-like Golden Age and Crying), would not normally be at home with some of the other songs like the acid-jazzy Love Dog or the just plain trippy Heroic Dose, but in the context of this album, it all works.

This album may not be the most experimental in TV On The Radio’s arsenal and honestly, I couldn’t even tell you where it stacks up in their discography. I’ll leave that to the neo zoom maxi dweebs to sort out. All I can tell you that is if you’re up for something different and can invest the time to do some active listening, this might be the album to knock your musical wagon out of its wheel ruts.

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