It seems like its been half a year since we were teased with a UK-only release of TV On The Radio’s new album, Return to Cookie Mountain. But once it arrives, as it finally does today, it is like doing a cannon ball into an ice fishing hole. For me it was a total shock to the system. Since hearing TVOTR’s first EP back in 2003, I liked them. They had a good energy, songs that simultaneously seemed to be raw garage rock while being avant-garde, and a vocal delivery of barbershop harmonies that is completely unique within contemporary music. But their art-punk leanings usually were a little too off base for me. On their previous album, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, there were really only 3 tracks of the 10 contained that I really enjoyed. And their reoccurring ‘a capella’ tracks, “Ambulance” and their version of The Pixies’ “Mr. Grieves,” just about drove me nuts. Is admittedly not my favorite musical genre. They were good, but as a band to pay attention to, 30% just didn’t cut it.
From the onset, Return to Cookie Mountain hints at a depth that is unparalleled. The songs are intriguing, and open-ended enough that you can take multiple readings from each. The album opener, “I Was A Lover” may be read on the surface as a document of a failed relationship. But I think it hints at a larger message; that of the universal frustration of our current political climate. “Hours” and “Province” seem a form two-step continuing this undertone. The first is a call to arms, while the latter offers some hope in the chorus, “Hold your heart courageously / As we walk into this dark place / Stand steadfast, erect and see / That love is the province of the brave.” By “Wolf Like Me,” the band is directly addressing their listener, and in a swarming controlled mess of distortion offers to “teach you tricks that’ll blow your mind.” They are an emotional beast, shunned from society, but that knows that we all have such an emotional core just waiting to be tapped.
They were right.
The album has an incredible range; from the atmospheric chant of “Hours” to the goosebump-producing peaks of “Province,” in addition to the constant switching of vocal responsibilities between Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. But it holds together through the the recurring distortion and trademark vocals. The distortion, by the way, is almost clean (if that even makes any sense). This time around the album is produced in a way that the fuzz and noise fits in perfectly to each track, rather than seeming a lazy veil over the tracks. To dwell on “Province,” I know that everyone now knows about the David Bowie guest vocals on the track, but they couldn’t have designed a song that needed his voice more. Every track on the album shines, a total surprise to me considering how hit and miss I had judged them to be previously. And for the record, they revisited their a capella style for “A Method,” but finally hit the nail on the head. Made up of a simple melody that is accompanied by hand claps and an ‘ooh-ed’ harmony, they didn’t let their conceptual rigor keep them from adding cymbals to fill out the track.
The album is also, incredibly, chocked full of amazing lyrics that seem filled with metaphors that hint at deeper meanings. As the album begins to close on “Tonight,” the production clicks in and Tunde sings, “Life deals a measly portion / Light on good friends and fortune / It’s chipped you away inside / And drawn all your blinds / Concealed it all from sight.” The constant, but varied rush of emotion on this album might just be able to break down such barriers.
I’m still stunned. And I think it might just be album of the year.
: David Cross - Reserve to Book A Fountain promo (video) :
: TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me :
: TV On The Radio - Tonight :
