I Can Dig It, Can You?

In case you've lost count, this is album number three we've reviewed, aka album number forty-seven on Rolling Stones top fifty. Yes, I know, we're moving kind of slow, but with some creativity we've found another way for both of us to listen to the album, even as Raivynn or I am away from home, which will definitely get us pumping these out that much faster.

This album, "Dear Science" by TV On The Radio, was certainly nothing I've heard before. Turn on the first song and you are hit with a wall of sound. Once you get over the initial "Ba-ba-ba," a staple of pop music, lead singer Tunde Adebimpe's voice comes into play. As he sings, you get a feeling of exactly what this is, even though it's hard to describe to others (trust me, I've tried). The drums are heavy, the synthesizer obvious, the vocals light and airy, but overall the beat is solid. If I had to pick a genre, I'd go with alt-rock-pop with a splash of indie thrown in. Okay, maybe more than a splash. Whatever. Their sounds are blended, which is just what the music industry needs. Gone are the days where a band was simply rock or pop. Instead many bands are now are getting the label 'rock/pop' or 'rock/alt/pop.' Blending, as I like to call this phenomenon, creates variety, which is usually good. Now people who claim to love or hate just one genre get the wonderful surprise of finding out their beloved band is not only this, it's that as well.

But, back to TV On The Radio. My personal favorites were tracks five and six- 'Golden Age' and 'Family Tree', especially 'Family Tree.' The music is soft and the lyrics are the kind that make you stop and think, something all of us could do a bit more often. Raivynn liked tracks one and two- 'Halfway Home' and 'Crying', and wants to note she quite enjoyed this band, something I agree with. Behind the music, the lyrics are rough and edgy, driving a knife into your soul, even if you don't exactly understand what they mean. The music compliments the words, and together they have the ability to give your head a couple of spins. That is, of course, if you're ready.

-Whitni