TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

[onebloodonelife]

TV on the Radio have a way with making downturning times sound so funky. Case in point: "No Future Shock."

 

[If you shout...]

So, is it any good?

 

[onebloodonelife]

First impression: I enjoyed it immensely, yes. I noticed others saying they weren't as keen on Dear Science, and it sounds similar to that album, I think, so others might feel differently. But, clocking in at 43 minutes was the perfect length, and the album fluctuated between upbeat funk songs and ballads beautifully, not staying with one tempo for too long. There's plenty more to be said, but I need to let the album sink in a bit more before doing so.

 

[Imperor]

Glad to hear it. I can't wait to listen to this thing. Probably my most anticipated imminent release.

 

[bollox]

First impressions (subject to change):

- first half (save for No Future Shock) is BORING; reminds me of the more skipable tracks on Dear Science, not bad, just uninteresting
- second half is pretty awesome; Will Do sounds much better in the context of the album and Repetition/Forgotten/Caffeinated Consciousness is a great closing trio
- not as immediate as Dear Science; has good songs, but not many standouts
- production wise it is closer to Cookie Mountain, seems a lot more layered than Dear Science; this is a good thing

Overall, I'm digging it and will probably give it some repeat spins.

 

[u2popmofo]

Hopefully I like it more than Dear Science (which wasn't bad by any means, just far less enjoyable for me personally than all of their material before it). I can't really tell what I'll think based on impressions. Some comments make me think I'll like it, some do the opposite.

 

[onebloodonelife]

What I always love about TV on the Radio is their ability to take several "black"/African genres or sonic characteristics and combine them into what becomes an original sound for the band, which happens very well yet again on Nine Types of Light.

I can agree with bollox on "Keep Your Heart" and "You" not being particularly memorable, though I thought "Second Song" was a fairly strong opener. But, I also don't usually find the band's ballads to be terribly memorable, so it's not surprising that I'm not keen on those two aforementioned songs.

 

[bollox]

I'm really loving Forgotten and Repetition; both of them build to fantastic payoffs. The outro on Repetition reminds me (a little bit) of Sit Down Stand Up.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

The outro on Repetition reminds me (a little bit) of Sit Down Stand Up.

I didn't think of Sit Down Stand Up, but I did think "FUCK! This kicks ass." Definitely my favorite track on the album after two listens. That awesome little spoken word bit, kicking into that thrilling ending that you mention.

Really digging this thing overall. Killer Crane was another big standout on this second listen, which I just finished. Love the guitar tone on Caffeinated Consciousness. That song will f'ng rock in concert.

Looking forward to more listens. I actually kind of want to listen to the whole thing again right now even though I just finished it, and that's a strange thing for me. I don't usually get that urge.

Tight album.

 

[Imperor]

They put this up for streaming on Rhapsody. Killer. Now I finally get to dig in.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Repetition

 

[cobl04]

I heard Will Do on radio today. Loved it. Immediately followed by I'm Amazed by MMJ, which sucked.

 

[martha]

Fuck. I listened to four or five tracks tonight. Loved them all, except maybe You. That one was just ok.

 

[Imperor]

Immediately followed by I'm Amazed by MMJ, which sucked.

Them's fightin' words.

 

[LemonMelon]

Not a huge fan of this as an album, but I dig a few of the individual tracks pretty well. Second Song, Killer Crane and Caffeinated Consciousness are all pretty tight. I hate CC as the closer though, it reminds me a bit of I'm Gonna DJ closing R.E.M.'s Accelerate, and I hated that almost equally. They're both anticlimaxes, and CC is especially unacceptable because, in spite of how haphazard the whole record was, its predecessor Dear Science felt circular thanks to its excellent, thoughtful bookends. I have no idea what the hell happens at the end of this album, but it ain't a mark of great sequencing.

Also, I'm not big on the production of Nine Types of Light; it worked with danceable numbers like Golden Age and Dancing Choose, but it's pretty damn slick for such moody songs as Killer Crane and Will Do. There's not a lot of atmosphere here, certainly not to the degree of Return to Cookie Mountain, which you could cut with a knife. I love the production of that record, and it would have enhanced these songs.

Anyway, not bad, but they're capable of much, much better. The new Panda Bear and Fleet Foxes would be completely overshadowing this right now, but I'm writing an article about this album for the university paper, and I needed a couple extra listens before I could form even a tentative opinion.

Also, Keep Your Heart is being underrated right now. Good track.

 

[Salome]

first half is near perfect
stays pretty decent beyond that too, though somewhat incoherent

 

[u2popmofo]

first half is near perfect
stays pretty decent beyond that too, though somewhat incoherent

Glad to hear this from you, Salome, as I know you were also a big Cookie Mountain fan.

I'm probably just going to wait until next week to hear it, though I might break. We'll see.

 

[martha]

May 3rd for the LA date. Another damn school night. I need a sugar daddy.

 

[Imperor]

Good gravy, this is some hot stuff. I think I'm going to take that chorus from "Keep Your Heart" behind a middle school and get it pregnant. TVOTR quietly became one of my absolute favorite bands, and this one just solidifies that.

Spoiler

The scream in "No Future Shock?"

Spoiler

 

[u2popmofo]

hahahahahaha

 

[iron yuppie]

There's some great, great stuff on this album - "Will Do" has been in my head ever since I listened to it yesterday, and the funk on "No Future Shock" really boosts the track into high gear.

 

[u2popmofo]

Will Do is still the only thing I've heard, and I like it a lot. I preordered the album yesterday.

Lots of good new music next Tuesday. I'm psyched for the new Low album as well.

 

[LemonMelon]

Lots of good new music next Tuesday. I'm psyched for the new Low album as well.

 

[PhilsFan]

This comes out next week, right? Can't wait to hear it.

 

[Imperor]

Today only, you can get the Dear Science deluxe edition mp3s for $3.99. I'm sure all of you have the album already, but just in case:

http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Science-...2SRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302283179&sr=8-1

 

[u2popmofo]

Are those live or demo versions as the bonus material?

 

[Imperor]

Remixes. And the "Dancing Choose" one is pretty great. I've had them for a couple years after downloading the deluxe version as my LP backup. I really wish download cards let you choose a format. v0s are a good deal smaller than 320s, and the quality loss is negligible.

 

[u2popmofo]

TV on the Radio: Nine Types of Light < PopMatters

 

[Imperor]

"Keep Your Heart" = jam of the year? Possibly.

 

[iron yuppie]

News of this album has compelled me to go back through TV's catalogue, and it has been a bloody treat. Young Liars is a revelation.