Watching a hurricane from space is beautiful and
calmingly mesmerizing because it symbolizes the unity of math and art. Closer
to earth, chaos is a more apt modifier. Fela Kuti, the father of afrobeat, was
able make exciting, complex and genre-bending orchestrations that were
tumultuous and also comprehensible. With the inclusion of Antibalas on some choice cuts of Dear Science, TV on the Radio has
transposed Kuti’s elaborate loveliness onto rock, soul and funk.
TVotR makes songs that are of the moment, with
visceral emotions from angst to plaintiveness that are well represented from
Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone’s lyrics. They refuse to be locked in time, however,
as they ensure their protests are not specific enough to be labeled
“protest songs” or pointed enough to be considered punk. They work
more with how it feels to be trapped in the 2000s with lyrics like, “I’m
living a life not worth dying for.” They remain hopeful, however, as they
predict a golden age to be born like a natural disaster. Other musicians should
be taking notes on how TVotR can find a voice in this political season without
writing odes to Obama.
On their previous effort, Return to Cookie
Mountain,
the Brooklyn quintet generally operated in a light haze or sounded like they
recorded in a grain silo. On Science, these barriers have been taken down to create
an intimate and more sensual sound. There are no absolutes with TVotR, as they
are constantly experimenting with new genres while adhering to the structural
constraints of rock.
The vocals are as eclectic as the rhythms, with
the band bouncing from the closest they’ll come to Coldplay on the drumless
“Family Tree” to the madly funky “Red Dress.” Malone laments, “And in the
shadow of the gallows of your family tree/ There’s a hundred hearts soar free/
Pumping blood to the roots of evil to keep it young” on the former while
Adebimpe rages, “Hey, jackboot/ fuck your war/ cause I’m fat and in love and no
bombs are fallin’ on me for sure” on the latter. The juxtaposition of the two
vocals adds to the poignance of the lyrics, taking the highs higher and the
lows lower.
What is sure to be Science‘s first single,
“Dancing Choose” finds the band at their most accesible, with Adebimpe almost
rapping over a buzzy synth and cool guitar riff, backed by Malone’s harmonic
falsetto and Antibalas’ triumphant horns. This layering is prevalent on much of
the album, and TVotR succeeds in not overwhelming by deftly changing the groove
so that the beginning of a song hardly resembles what the song finally evolves
into. Nowhere is this truer than on “Shout Me Out,” which begins as echoed
lounge, turns into stunning breakbeat, takes a breath of air, then continues
with a shouting match over an increasingly intricate Velvet Underground guitar
freak-out.
Whether they play shoegaze guitar on “Halfway
Home,” pay homage to Prince on “Golden Age” or mix post-rock and trip hop on
“DLZ,” TVotR sound like seasoned veterans and always sound like TVotR. Like
Fela Kuti’s sprawling, disjointed masterpieces, if you step back from the noise
of Dear Science,
you can hear a fabulously cohesive whole.
4 1/2 stars out of 5