TV on the Radio Album: “Nine Types of Light”

TV On The Radio is a band that has consistently captured the universal ennui of the American people, a mix of confusion, doubt, and hopefulness. Each record has been an exploration on the themes of being an American losing faith in "America," and often an exploration of what it means to be human and to desperately try to have faith in humanity. On their fourth official LP, TV On The Radio seem to have finally found some things to be happy about. Where their previous work was punctuated by an urgent sense of paranoia, fear, and distrust, Nine Types of Light seems to find the band in a more relaxed state of mind, putting out a refreshingly upbeat set of songs. Following in the vein of the great love songs on Dear Science, Nine Types is heavily groovy, full of sexy falsetto chorus', brass jams, and slinky bass. Certainly more accessible than their denser back catalogue, Nine Types is a fun and funky outing, but it lacks some of the depth and experimentation of the more obtuse Return to Cookie Mountain. Ultimately, TV On The Radio have put together an incredibly solid set of songs here, with highlights including the impossibly catchy opener, "Second Song," the dark and undulating "Will Do," and the blown out, melodic jam of "Caffeinated Consciousness." Bottom line is this is another great record from the indie funk pioneers, and certain to please fans.

This album was in the Class of 2011, along with Death Cab's "Codes and Keys" and Devotchka's "100 Lovers." I am by no means saying that these should be considered the same genre of music, but out of the albums that stuck and made the ipod rotation, these 3 were in the best of 2011 (can't think of the others in the short time preparing this).

Back to TVoTR: I can't say there are any true 10's on individual tracks, but when there are 4 or more songs that are an 8/10 or above, and only a couple throwaways, that's a successful album in my books. Notables: Tracks 1-6, with an exception to "No Future Shock," which is a 5.5/10 in my ranking system, "Second Song," "Killer Crane," "Will Do," and "You" all rate between 8.0 to 9.0, with "Keep Your Heart" rating a solid 7.5. "Repetition" (8.0) and "Caffeinated Consciousness" (7.0) round out the uneven finish, but the album as a whole is solid all around. Truth be told, very few albums have gripping songs top to bottom, but Nine Types of Light comes close with that strong front-loaded playlist.

Full bodied music. Muscular musicianship brimming with an excitement of experience born in a diversity that's a fusion of style and borderless artistic integration that works together well. The musical overlays are smooth and seamless, enveloping all of the internal spaces. Beautiful flowing melodies, blended like a perfectly crafted beverage. These guys know their craft, and don't waste time experimenting. They have a beautiful musical compass and they know exactly where they're going, and so does the listener once the first note is unleashed. TV on the Radio knows what and how they're going to say in each stanza. A mature band that has an identity and are having fun introducing all of us to it. Five well earned stars for this wonderful band.

TV on the radio blew my mind away with "Dear Science" - I believe it's their Nevermind, their OK Computer; so I did have my expectations WAY up high for this one. To be honest with you, it's not better than Dear Science - but it's definitely a worthwhile album. Will Do is the best song in the album, but I'm growing more and more fond of the slow songs like Forgotten and more upbeat songs like Caffeinated Consciousness. All in all, it's a great album; I guess we'll always have the Dear Science stigmata.-

I've been listening to these guys since "Desperate Youth, Blood-Thristy Babes"

This is the first release since then that I have fully enjoyed. Not only enjoyed but loved.

The songs are simple compared to Cookie Mountain, and much smoother than Dear Science. They've been described as love songs, and I hear that. But they're also human songs. Will Do has been stuck in my head for a couple weeks (since they released the video). And they havn't been able to do that to me since their first album.

There's lots of good reviews here, so I won't dive into rehashing what's already been said. I just love this album, and wanted to share that with you.