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Underground > Radio & Music >

TV On The Radio

17:29 / 11.07.06

Ol' Johnny come lately here has just bought the new TV on the radio album 'Return To Cookie Mountain' and its brilliant.

The track 'Wolf Like Me' is (IMHO) a definite contender for the best track of the year so far. Imagine mixing the new wave cool of Television, or the first Strokes EP with a thumping pixiesy bass line and then adding a big gospely Middle 8. Fucking genius.

The rest of the album veers of in various directions with backwards strings and beats reminiscent of early Tricky on album opener 'I Was A Lover' to Beach boys-esque harmonys and whistling on 'A Method'.

This album is rapidly turning into the best thing i've heard all year. Anybody else got it or listening?

I had downloaded some earlier tracks but not really found anything that had grabbed me - I thought 'Young Liars' was good but everything else had been a bit of a disappointment- is the earlier stuff worth getting?

Barbelith you are welcome to point me in the right direction to hear the best of their earlier stuff, i'm all ears.

18:03 / 11.07.06

I was just listening to Return To Cookie Mountain and considered starting a thread on it. I've listened to it four times now and it keeps growing, or rather revealing all it's layers, and feels already like one of 2006's best albums.

You draw interesting comparisions: the three things it first reminded me of are The Arcade Fire, in how grand and layered it is; The Liars's "Drum's Not Dead" because of the drums and strange rhytms and dreaminess, and Wolf Parade for the vocals and rockiness. I have however been listening to and loving those three albums lately, so perhaps that influenced me.
Also, I find that when I try, I could drop endless hip references, but still never quite sum it up, which might describe TV On The Radio well.

I agree that "Wolf Like Me" is just fantastic, but it feels wrong to take a song out of context from this album: it all works together and the pacing is great.

TV On The Radio's debut album, "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes" is also very good, but "Cookie Mountain" definitely shows that the band has grown.

The Jawsus of the Blue Lagoon

20:32 / 11.07.06

Was thinking of buying this today. Really love Desperate Youth, love the, I have no way of explaining this, blade runner quality to the sound. That's not right, but it sounds so clean, crisp - deliberate, like they've spent months on each song. Which, I guess, is why I don't see the comparison with Arcade fire - while Arcade Fire sound a little rough around the edges (in a great way, as I love that band). Both haunting though, in very different ways.

Maybe TVOTR have just confused me by using synths and drum machines. I am quite a fool.

12:19 / 12.07.06

It initially reminded me of The Arcade Fire too; something about the vocals and a certain kind of layered, operatic quality. But it’s richer and more exciting – more nightmarish than dreamy. But, you know, in a good way.
Shit, I’m terrible at talking about music.

lonely as a cloud...

12:05 / 13.07.06

I picked up Cookie Mountain more or less on a whim, having glanced at this thread...and I'm glad I did. Excellent album. On first listen, Wolf Like Me is definitely my favourite track.

As an aside, just looking at the cover, and its design, I was almost sure it was a 4AD release - recognised Oliver Vaughan's style from my collection of Pixies/Breeders/Muses albums. And I was right. Anybody else notice this...?

14:15 / 13.07.06

It is a 4AD release- i normlly love Vaughn Olivers stuff but IMHO it seems a little old fashioned and bland for TV on the Radio- i guess I associate his art work with specific sounds as well- i did flick through the album insert to see if it was him or just someone ripping him off, a bit depressing that he's now doing poor imitations of his best work...

The Jawsus of the Blue Lagoon

19:35 / 17.07.06

Brought the album on saturday - it's quite a development on Desperate Youth... I also now see the Arcade Fire comparison. This one seems a little less clinical than the last. And Wolf Like Me deserves to be the anthem of this summer.

The Jawsus of the Blue Lagoon

03:03 / 22.12.06

Seriously. Wolf Like Me. Amazing. Still listening to it. Over anf Over.