Album review: TV on the Radio - Dear Science

Let me preface this by saying I'm not at all familiar with TV On the Radio as a band. Not even a little bit. I've heard the name before, but that's all. As such, I had no idea what to expect from their latest release, Dear Science. What I found was an eclectic mix of funk, alternative and old-fashioned classic rock that's alternately soothing and uplifting.

You wouldn't think midi keyboards, acoustic guitars, brass bands and string quartets would work so well together, but they do. The result is a sound that defies genre, that takes on the strange yet satisfying quality of a completely unique and enjoyable work of art. It's also the kind of sound that takes a few listens to get used to. This is not standard top-forty radio by any stretch of the imagination. On first listen, the melodies don't quite make sense, and vocalist Tunde Adebimpe's bizarre mix of throaty spoken-word and pinched, nasal falsetto is off-putting. You have to hear it more than once in order to even begin to appreciate it. But then you'll find yourself humming along and tapping your feet without even remembering what you found so strange about it in the first place.

It's not perfect. In Stork & Owl, the pinched falsetto ceases being ironic and starts to get annoying; that kind of sound works best when paired with a strong backbeat, and this isn't one of those places. With the closing track, Lover's Day, while I love creepy-but-sweet lyrics like "I hunger for you like a cannibal," the coda with a purposefully out of tune brass section was a bit of a letdown after so many musical experiments that did work.

Standout tracks include Halfway Home, the upbeat opener that you can't help but sing along with; the haunting, hypnotic Love Dog, which is my personal favorite; and the big band first single Golden Age, which wouldn't be out of place in an off-Broadway musical. I always appreciate a strong opening track, and in fact I tend to experience albums the way I experience novels: strong beginning, rising action, and a climax somewhere near the end. For this album, the same holds true: the sound meanders from somber to silly to subversive and back again, with a healthy dose of romantic longing thrown in — but in a decidedly unconventional way.

Verdict: Hard to get into at first, but well with the effort in the long run. Listen to this once and you'll just get confused. Keep listening, and you'll be a fan before you know it.

Laurel