Album Results
Album Reviews
Despite their connections to the New York rock scene -- the band is based in Brooklyn's Williamsburg district and keyboardist/sound manipulator David Andrew Sitek has produced releases by the Liars and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- TV on the Radio's debut EP, Young Liars, is difficult to place, musically or geographically speaking. The angular, arty feel that informs the bands that Sitek has worked with is evident in TV on the Radio's music too, but in a cool, implosive way; combined with the keyboards and electronics that make up the backbone of their songs and Tunde Adebimpe's richly melancholy vocals, they don't sound like any other band out there. Elements of electronica, post-rock, film music, even spirituals and traditional African vocal music combine and recombine throughout Young Liars' five songs so organically that it's clear that TV on the Radio isn't striving to be "eclectic" or "atmospheric": the band is simply using their naturally diverse elements and influences to create something wholly distinctive. And Young Liars delivers just that, starting with the opening track, "Satellite," which begins with a martial, crunchy drumbeat and ominously droning synths before blossoming out into flutes and Adebimpe's close harmonies. Sitek and Adebimpe's collaboration is nothing less than inspired, with Sitek's skills as a sound sculptor providing the perfect foil for Adebimpe, who is something of a rarity in the world of indie music: a vocalist who can really sing. His falsetto on "Staring at the Sun" gives it an added depth, while his circular, layered vocals on the stunning "Blind" make the song's simple lyrics ("I seen a girl with a guy/Her hair like yours from what I remember/It's been so long since last December") truly moving. Likewise, "Young Liars" itself conveys a soulful paranoia that ties into the spiritual undercurrent of the entire EP and is expressed most literally by its hidden track, a radical cover of the Pixies' "Mr. Grieves." Part doo wop and part spiritual, it's almost completely unrecognizable to the original, but once again it proves that TV on the Radio doesn't travel obvious routes. More promising than most full-length debuts, Young Liars needs to be heard by anyone who values smart, challenging music. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Track Listing
| 1. Satellite |
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| 2. Staring At The Sun |
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| 3. Blind |
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| 4. Young Liars |
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| 5. Data |
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| Featured Review | |
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Heartless KanYe West |
| When he announced that he would be putting rap to one side for his latest album and composing the whole thing using an 80's drum machine and singing in the style of Cher via the use of auto-tune software, many onlookers thought KanYe West had lost it. However, the results of KanYe's pop experiments, that on paper looked decidedly dodgy, have already produced one hit single and, if early reviews are anything to go by, one of KanYe's best albums. On his latest single, 'Heartless', KanYe continues the theme of the album '808's and Heartbreaks' by employing the use of the 808 drum machine and singing about, if you hadn't already guessed, Heartbreak. Although, as Kanye himself stated, the use of auto-tune is often associated with being 'wack', the application of the vocoder effect on 'Heartless' adds an extra depth to West's effective but limited speak singing. This proves to be a shrewd move as rapper's attempts to hit notes out of their range can often end in horrendous results; just ask Puff Daddy. Added to this the depth of lyrics, inspired by an emotionally turbulent year that saw the death of his mother and a break up with his fiancé, have more heartfelt punch than any of the predictable Hip Hop/R&B doing the rounds at the moment. Not many artists could pull it off but it seems '808's and Heartbreaks' has seamlessly moved KanYe West from Hip Hop King into the realm of pop pioneer without breaking a sweat. ©2008 Shazam Entertainment Limited. All rights reserved. | |
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