TV on the Radio: The New Elite.

     

     TV on the Radio has entered the pantheon of alt-rock supremacy.  The Brooklyn based ensemble have been inducted to an elite group of post-grunge indie bands that have consistently released flawless albums, and have yet to hit a creative lull.  They have created a sound lush eclectic sound that is undeniably "TV on the Radio," but still evolves and matures with every passing release.  TVOTR tactfully walks the line of artistic integrity and commercial success; selling records without selling out.  They have put in their effort and now reaping their rewards.

   TV on the Radio formed in Brooklyn around 2001.  The band is multiracial, and multi-ethnic.  Much of the bands diverse spectrum of sound can be attributed to its' scores of different influences.  Residing in Brooklyn also gave way to a mountainous amount of culture to be absorbed.  The band tinkered around and released an album of demos titled OK Calulator (Haha, Radiohead fans.)  This release only featured two members of the subsequent lineup, and is merely a skeleton of the sound the band would later achieve.  The band kept at it, though, and the band eventually settled on its members, most notably Kyp Malone(he as well as most of the band is a multi-instrumentalist).  Armed with a new lineup, TVOTR entered the studio to cut an EP, Young Liars.  Released to critical acclaim, showing off the band's penchant for eclectic sounds within a single piece of work.  With their newfound adulation, TVOTR re-entered the studioto try their hand at a full length album, 2004's Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes.  The LP was decent, but still showed their immaturity as a band.  Desperate Youth... was an example of an amazing band slowly coming together.  Despite the occasional clunker, the album was received well (most remarkably by rock-god, David Bowie), and TVOTR was signed on to Interscope Records.

     Now set with a permanent lineup and a major label budget, TVOTR entered a Brooklyn studio to record 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain.  The most exceptional moment of the recording process was surely the inclusion of David Bowie on the song "Province." The results were epic.  TVOTR found their niche as eclectic art rock royalty.  The album, even the songs jettisoned from funk, to art-rock, to indie pop.  The sound was ....TV on the Radio.   Cookie Mountain was recepted wonderfully, blowing up the rating systsem of all music reviewers.  In all of the major year end reviews, (Spin, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Slant, rhapsody) the lowest rank Cookie Mountain received was #4.  Uber-critic, Pitchfork, ranked the album #2, no easy feat.  TV on the Radio had made it, but nobody knew what was coming next.

     In 2008, the band released Dear Science.  An exceptional album that somehow dwarfed the acclaim of Cookie Mountain.   The album pushed the envelope of the term "genre" and Dear Science's style was a high-watermark for the band.  The album so delicately interwove its influence to create a sound that is indelibly TVOTR.  The sound of Dear Science, with its' subtle combination of electro/indieart/rock/alternative/world sound, has been mimicked by an immeasurable amount of subsequent bands and albums.   This album blew the lid off the indie rock world, and the album has been put in the upper echelons of modern music genius.  The unbelievable talent was not lost upon critics, either.  Dear Science was ranked #1 in literally EVERY credible year end rank list.  It has also been placed on almost every "best of the decade" lists, such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.  Jamband gurus Phish even champion the album, often covering the song "Golden Age." (Sorry, had to reference it).

      After extensive concert and festival appearances, along with guest spots on most every late-night talk show, TVOTR went back into the studio, this time in Los Angeles.  Despite the change in scenery, the results were the same.  In March, Nine Types of Light, TVOTR's newest album, was released to the world.  Though the acclaim was not as austere as its' predecessor, it was by no means panned by critics, and unanimously regarded as one of the better albums of 2011.  Nine days after the release of  Nine Types of Light, bassist/keyboardist, Gerard Smith passed away from the lung cancer he was diagnosed with a couple of months earlier.  The loss of the revered and lovable Smith left a monumental void in the band, who prided themselves on evolving so organically.  A replacement was found for the remainder of TVOTR's scheduled 2011 tour dates, but no further plans as a band has been made since.  

     Despite its' muddied future,  TV on the Radio is sure to continue as a band.  Quite frankly, the project is too genius to abandon.  It is hard to replace a member as unique as Gerard Smith, but the intellect of the remaining members will allow for the creativity to continue to flow.  The future is endless for this hardworking Brooklyn band, and the ever growing fans are waiting for their next big thing.