Dear Science
TV On The Radio
2008
Album Summary
Dear Science is the third studio album by the band TV on the Radio. It was released on September 16, 2008, digitally through Touch and Go Records, with the physical release coming a week later through Interscope Records and DGC Records in North America and 4AD elsewhere.
WikipediaI was so obsessed with their first EP and album when they came out. I really like their balance of instrumentation and electronics/samples. I think their greatest asset above all is Tunde Adebimpe's voice though. They are a great example of a sort of "post modern" band that don't come off too arty as to be inaccessible. Similar to Talking Heads perhaps in that way. Interesting combination of influences that ends up culminating in their own unique sound.
Had 0 expectations going in, and it turned out to be really cool and intersting. Also, one of the songs is used brilliantly in Breaking Bad, so thats something.
Don't know how I missed probably a decade of this band being relevant, liked them more and more the more I've heard, this was an unexpected good find
A band I never heard of, an album of songs I didn’t recognise. What a treat this was. So much going on, interest, varied, fun. Definitely one I will keep coming back to
Pour être très franc avec vous, je m'attendais à entendre un album de musique et non le service client d'un opérateur téléphonique. On clique sur Dear Science et on est immédiatement plongé dans l'attente: "Patientez, un conseiller va vous répondre..." On se demande alors dans quoi Robert Dimery vient de nous embarquer. "Restez en ligne, un conseiller va vous répondre..." Au bout d'une cinquantaine de minutes, on nous dit la phrase suivante : "Tous nos conseillers sont actuellement en ligne, nous vous invitons à renouveller votre appel ultérieurement." Quelle frustration...
A lot of great records lately! This album is packed with ideas and a sampling of flavours across the indie, funk, soul, and rock spectrum. I can't help but imagine Prince grooving to this. There's something so rooted, yet forward facing about the music. This album holds up remarkably well 14 years later--it sounds like it could have been released last week. 4.5/5 Favourite track: "Halfway Home"
This is one on the greatest album of the 2000's decade. There is nothing else that sounds quite like it. You could always point out "Oh, they took inspiration from Radiohead, Brian Eno..." and so on and so on, but Dear Science is such a bigger project that stands out more that the influences that fed it. The electronic/synth undertones with the funky bass is the perfect backbone for the talents of this band. There are so many layers in these songs, but they never feel overdone. I think there's something for everybody in this album, which is its greatest strength. TV on the Radio knew what they were doing when they made this. Favorite Song: Family Tree Least Favorite: Really can't pick one...the whole album is phenomenal.
Brilliant record. I have had this band recommended to me for years, but tried to listen to them before my tastes had expanded. This album was wonderfully written, arranged, and produced and fearlessly explores and transcends genre. My favorite tracks were Halfway Home, Golden Age, and DLZ.
I'm not sure why I thought this was a band from the 80s, but considering that this album came out in 2008, it's a great mix of the sound from the early 2000s and today.
This was a really good album. It's well written, clever, emotional, and fun. It's the kind of album that, had I been in a different mood, would probably have gotten a 5 star review from me. Objectively, it's a little too easy to ignore but it's easily a 4-star album.
Music media darling. Awfully catchy front to back, and DLZ is now inseparable from the "stay out of my territory" scene in Breaking Bad. But it didn't, like, blow my mind right out, and unfortunately I've been conditioned to expect that from all the times I've seen allusions to this album.
Time for a confession: I own the actual 1001 Albums book (2014 edition). This album was one of the few times where I felt compelled to crack open the tome and learn why deserved a place in the music history canon. After reading, I'm still not totally sure. There's reference to clear influences (Peter Gabriel and Prince) and the album's sound (soulful vocals over electronic explorations), but nothing that really answers as to WHY I'm listening to this. I think that TV On The Radio might just a be a middle-of-the-road indie darling to point to for hipster points (remember, this was 2008. Hipster culture was alive and well). But now, over a decade later in 2021, I feel this album needs some sort of staying power other than just being "pretty good". Was it largely influential? Did it build upon it's own influences in a unique and compelling way? Is it indicative of a certain music scene or genre? I need the people over at 1001 to throw me a bone with this one because I can't always pick up everything you're laying down. I guess when you're recommending 1001 albums, a few aren't going to stick the landing. We'll try again tomorrow, I suppose.
La situation est très simple: je ne présenterai plus une seule review construite tant qu'on n enous aura pas confirmé que la piste 3 de cet album est en fait la musique d'attente de l'URSSAF: robpenitencier est actuellement sur le coup, nous vous tiendrons au courant dès que possible.
I legitimately don't know how I feel about this. One second, I really like it, the next, I hate it. Stop confusing me, music.
Didn’t do it for me. Really didn’t see what was so special about this album.
I don’t get this band. I can see why people like them but they just aren’t for me. Not bad, just not enjoyable.
I agree with Andy here.This album is too busy from start to finish. There’s too much going on during the opener and the closer. Is this indie, pop, or rock? It’s all of the above. Is it amazing, good, bad, or garbage? Again all of the above. Props to Dancing Choose for giving me Everything Everything vibes and for Golden Age for giving us a cool Phish cover. I thought Family Tree, Love Dog and DLZ were some of the better songs. All 11 songs had the potential to be something but couldn’t commit. I’m shocked this got as much praise as it did in 08.
Das ist meist langweilig, stellenweise nervt es aber auch. Übermäßig bemüht, aber nicht gekonnt. Sind das schon 2 Sterne? Wenn man nach dem 10. von 11 Songs ausmacht und keinerlei Interesse hat, den Rest zu Ende zu hören - vermutlich nicht.
Blech - songwriting is at best cheesy/lazy, the tonal flow jumps all over the place, and the tracks are too long by at least 1-2 minutes each. This is the first album that's made me question the mechanism behind the list. Surely there are more seminal albums from the aughts than this one?
I really like this one and thought it was pretty groundbreaking when I first heard it, like another divot into the great fairway of life. Especially Red Dress, but especially Golden Age.
Pretty good! Some parts reminded me of All berkrovitz band, and some others reminded me of more popular indie bands
Maybe the best band to come out this millennium. Like a more funky Arcade Fire
Funky Indie, that should be a genre right? And this album should have led the Funky Indie charge. Although most indie bands going funk are an absolute car crash so maybe not. TOTR are one of the most consistently brilliant bands of the last 20 years. All of their first three albums including this one are stone-cold classics.
Would probably get a 4 without the nostalgia factor. Used to listen to this one a lot when I was younger, I think it has a great mix of different tracks and genres: fav tracks crying and love dog.
Have not listened to this for years forgot how much I enjoyed listening to them, will listen more :)
Loved it. Loved everything about it. Will listen to many songs on repeat. Very welcome entry. Already listened three times to determine whether it's a 4 or a 5.
Used to listen to this a lot, great record with loads of different styles
I only really knew their single Wolf Like Me that I've heard from time to time but otherwise not too familiar with TV on the Radio. Some good Rock with energy, some psychadelic flavor and vocals at times, and just solid jams all around. I liked this, would definitely add to the playlist.
This was really something else. Kind of reminded me of LCD Soundsystem, with a disco vibe, and yet it was something uniquely its own. This will quickly be added to my rotation.
Wow. This was totally unexpected... Every track is completely different - so mature and interesting. Prob my favourite new album so far! Fav new track: Tough to call and will prob change on re-listens, but maybe Love Dog.
I realized early that this album contains exactly the kind of anthemic rock that appeals to me. While I have some reservations about some of the instrumentation, the raw appeal can't be denied, and neither can the idiosyncrasy and blend of ideas. I may regret thinking I like TV On The Radio after just one album, but the entire project has the magnetism that certain singles do for me.
They had me charmed from the ba-ba-ba ba ba at the start of the Peter Gabriel-esque Halfway Home. I love this song a lot a lot a lot. My love continues through Crying, Dancing Choose ("bought a sweater for his Weimaraner, too"), the funky bass and glorious chorus of Golden Age, Love Dog, and Dogs of Light. And finally, my favorite, Shout Me Out, with its tempo change and wailing second half. The songs are hard to categorize but this record is good good good.
Wow. Really enjoyed this album from start to finish. Variety, musicality and it even sounded like Prince singing a couple of times. I honestly had to check to make sure it wasn't. One of the better recommendations found via this 1001 albums list.
Nice one, a good find. Lots going on with horns, strings, ballads and dance tracks. Will defo listen again.
Bastante guay. Una mezcla de The National, con Bowie y un poco U2. Venga! un 5!
really smart and evocative. these guys know how to put a record together.
This album has brilliant and moving lyrics that explore our values (or lack thereof). Family Tree is a tragic love song about a black / white relationship. The image of a black person (the black woman in this case?) hanging from a tree is a powerful depiction of society's character defects. Dylan used this image in the opening verse of Desolation Row. I also like the experiments with noise such as at the end of Shout Me Out and, to a lesser extent, Crying. The percussion is also very good and carries the melody in DLZ which is one of the best songs on the album.
I've heard TV On The Radio before but I never really got into an album. This has been one of the best musical experiences for me so far in the album generator thing. The tracks are very different but mostly full of vocal experimentation and up-tempo rythms.
This album has no business being this great, straight banger after banger
This album slaps! I like the differing genres in the music, making it hard to define in one umbrella. It also makes the album very enjoyable to listen to.
I hadn’t ever heard of tv on the radio before this but I loved this album. My fav song was actually a song of theirs that came on after the album ended on Spotify but overall I liked every song on the album especially crying and dlz
This album had a huge influence on my musical tastes when it arrived in 2008, and my opinion of it has only improved since then. No other band sounds quite like TV on the Radio, and TV on the Radio has never before or again sounded as good as they do on this album. It is the pinnacle of a completely unique art rock style the band commands all to themselves; a near-perfect listen from start to finish. I couldn't even describe the least memorable songs on this album like "Stork & Owl" and "Red Dress" as anything less than great. Meanwhile, the best songs on this album "Golden Age" and "DLZ" are on my playlist of all-time favourite songs, across all genres. Standout tracks: There isn't a bad (let alone average) song on this album, but the cream of the crop for me are "Halfway Home", "Golden Age", "Family Tree", "Love Dog" and "DLZ".
I dug this album. It's weird listening to mid 2000s music and hearing just how many influences they pulled from. Dancing Choose was the stand out track for me.
This was a major album for me during my college years. Listening to it again, it’s amazing mix of cacophony and subtle timbres. “Love Dog” is still one of my favorite songs, the mix of heavy drums and love-lorn cooing is a perfect combination.
a pleasant surprise of an album. genuinely inventive alt-pop. even the remixes tacked onto the end of the version i listened to were good. my first 5-star album so far.
Two great albums in a row! Every song is entertaining in its own way, those can be funky, uplifting, melancholic or just simply instrumental, they all have that energy, that is so compelling and contagious. Two singles, "Golden Age" and "Dancing Choose" don't really stand out, because the whole record is very even - and at a high level. The real highlight of the album is the song "TMZ". It hits all the right tones, both lyrics-wise and instrumental. Guitar work is really extraordinary on this album, maybe not overly complicated, but it fits the overall style perfectly. It's a great album, and I'm eager to listen to the whole discography of TV On Yhe Radio in the near future.
I saw this band open for Nine Inch Nails years ago and really enjoyed them. I bought the album Return to Cookie Mountain, but it never resonated with me. I never went back to explore this band further. That said, I really enjoyed this album. Very inventive songwriting and instrumentation. I’m adding this to my normal rotation, and really need to give Cookie Mountain another chance. There wasn’t a song on it I disliked.
This was quite an unexpectedly good listen. It has nostalgic 80's vibes combined with distinct 2000's sound.
Mindblowingly good, despite hideous cover. Really excited that it’s by a nearly all black rock band.
Wow! This was excellent. I really liked their style, and will definitely check out more from them.
This is precisely why I embarked on listening to random albums. Somehow I had never even heard of this band. This album is fantastic, so many different styles covered and all done so well. I feel like I've found treasure. Highlights: Dancing Choose Red Dress DLZ
Great album and great band! Had always heard good things but have never listened. Great construct between two singers voices
Brooklyn Indie. I’m supposed to like it. But it sounds like music I’m supposed to like.
I really enjoyed this and would listen to it again. TV on the Radio is a band I had occasionally heard a song or two from, and liked, but had never really sought out. I may be on the verge of fandom after this.
I know I’ve heard this group before because I recognize the voice and sound. But I don’t think I’d heard any of this one. It’s pretty good, I enjoy it musically and at times when I’ve paid attention, lyrically. The silent track was probably interesting …. Once. Then just annoying. I’ll check more of them out.
Está cool, mezcladito, el rock etiquetado luego ya como "indie" por no tener mejor categoría (aunque seguro hay alguna más específica). Es ruidoso hasta cierto punto, como un poco caótico en sus medio distintos ritmos. Mis favoritas fueron "Crying" y "DLZ", no conocía nada de TV On The Radio, según yo. O no recuerdo... 8/10
4.2 + TVOTR sounded like a band that was able for a brief period to harness their collective talent in full and stretch it to almost to its breaking point. The creative energy and ambition in this record burst forth at every turn. The rhythms, the sounds, the lyrics, the vocals. It’s undeniable.
Buena experiencia. Disfruté tdoas las canciones aunque no es mi estilo esta música indie (?), una canción que no recuerdo cual me sonó a Coldplay y nada más por eso no doy 5 jajaja. La que más me gustó fue dog love porque suena conmovedora y se queda en mi playlist de música melancolisad.
Spent a lot of time listening to this before. Very good front half, some dips in the second half.
A bouncy album. The songs are long, but I was surprised at how short they feel when I’m listening to them. It might be partially due to the constant shifts in the sound that spans each song (and that spans the album, really). No one song sounds too much like another, but the sounds aren’t so disparate that the album lacks cohesion. There are definite highlights (“Crying”; “Golden Age”; “Family Tree”; “Shout Me Out”) and the best of the album outruns the album’s worst parts (“Red Dress”; “DLZ”). And, like every album on the cusp of being great, this album has songs that I can’t figure out if I like regardless of how many times I listen (“Dancing Choose”; “Love Dog”). All in all, a really great album. 7.5/10.
On the third song, so far this album is top notch. Listened to a couple of TV On The Radio albums before and enjoyed both of them but this one beats both those out by miles. 4/5 so far. Finished the album, still a 4/5. Maybe 4.5/5 even. Really good.
Maybe it was because my first listen was pre-coffee (grumpy boy), but I liked this immensely more on the second listen. First half is damn good, went 5/5 on liked songs and eventually just went and saved the album. Didn't like the second half quite as much, brought me down on the album overall as I felt it dragged on a bit. Still, the start was good enough for me to give this a solid 4. Saved: Halfway Home, Crying, Dancing Choose, Stork & Owl, Golden Age, DLZ
I had never listened to this album in it's entirety before. Very well done, reminds me of what my old band tried to do at times. Dig it.
Ecléticismo máximo sin dejar de pisar el acelerador. Art pop, post punk, funk, soul, electro rock, post trip hop, gospel y así hasta el infinito. Divertido y sin descanso.
a lot better than i was expecting. i will probably listen to this again.
This really feels like the proper evolution of indie, rock, soul, funk, etc. It's a fusion without explicitly selling itself as such, allowing boundaries to be broken at will when it suits the band. I'm always curious about music that was released at the end of the Bush administration, and this record definitely feels a little jaded, as the politics really mix well into this concoction. Fav Tracks: Family Tree and Halfway Home
Loved this album. The rhythms and added horms make this album very catchy from the first note. It is only after listening a few times that I was able to start to focus on the lyrics which turned this into a completely different experience for me. The urgency of the lyrics added some tension to the sound. All songs are great but early favorites are Halfway Home, Crying and Lover's Day. The horns bring a really nice touch to this album so I checked out who was playing, The Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra (worth a listen!). I really feel the Prince vibe but at the same time there as some songs that seem to draw comparison to the National
Awww I haven't listened to this in a long time. This isn't my favorite album of theirs but I fucking love TVOTR. Surprised they didn't have Desperate Youths on this list instead actually. Man I used to love Stork & Owl.
Not the kind of thing I usually listen to, and I had never heard anything by them before. Indie alt stuff. On the one hand I did really enjoy it and find it interesting, but on the other, I can't really recall any songs. Definitely one I will come back to though.
I only knew two of their songs previously, 'Happy Idiot' and 'Wolf like me', this album was much more relaxed than those, nice Indy chill album. The First track 'Halfway home' had a hook line that some friends used to sing but I never knew the song until now, which was pretty cool for me. Overall enjoyed it
Really liked this album…somewhat familiar with them. Going to listen to more of them
Never heard of these guys surprisingly enough. Opening track was like a mash up of Everything Everything and Interpol with a sprinkle of LCD Soundsystem. Interesting vibes. Enjoyed the album and gave a few listens. Took a few and added to my Spotify playlist. Will deffo be listening to their other albums. Most intriguing yet.
Great album. Features "Golden Age" which is covered regularly by Phish.
This was a goodun, don't really know the band much but really enjoyed this album
This was surprisingly enjoyable! I didn't know what to expect but found this to be a mix similar to Jamie T, Arcade Fire, We Are Scientists.. some songs I wasn't to into but going to score highly for surprise and variety element
A me questo disco è piaciuto ha qualcosa di imperfetto e quasi non professionale che però non influenza negativamente il risultato, anzi lo rende più interessante. L'ho trovato coinvolgente e divertente e mi piace il fatto che spesso si sentono referenze molto differenti all'interno dei brani.
Molto interessante, in qualche modo ha un vibe un po' '80 forse per l'uso che viene fatto dei synth. Ha anche il tipico piglio un po' indie hipster degli anni 2005-2010. La produzione suona un po' ruvida e non mi fa impazzire, però a livello compositivo sono rimasto piacevolmente colpito dalla varietà e anche dall'originalità dei pezzi. La voce e anche lo stile vanno molto in direzione Bon Iver nei suoi ultimi album, però c'hanno anche qualcosa di Alt-J e Bloc Party (più avanti nella loro carriera). Comunque tutti artisti più o meno contemporanei a loro ma riescono comunque ad avere un'identità sicuramente molto riconoscibile. Molto belli Family Tree e Red Dress, ma in generale ho apprezzato la maggior parte dei pezzi. Direi un 4 pieno.
Con questo ascolto ho chiuso un cerchio aperto undici anni fa: li viddi nel 2009 durante il tour di quest'album. Aprirono ai NIN, non sapevo chi fossero, ma mi rimasero impressi tanto che conoscevo già alcune canzoni di quest'album. Avendo all'epoca il 56k, Daniele sa, avevo scaricato un paio di mp3 ("Crying" di quest'album e "Wolf like me", il loro cavallo di battaglia) ma poi non li ho mai approfonditi. Ecco arrivato il momento! Dunque, l'ascolto di "Dear Science" è stato molto positivo. Molto scorrevole, pezzi ben costruiti e loro sono molto bravi. Mi è piaciuto molto come si apre l'album con "Halfway Home". "Crying" e "Family Tree" anche mi piacciono tanto. Loro comunque dal vivo spaccano, adesso sicuramente, per come sono invecchiato, andrei a vedere loro piuttosto che i NIN. Voto: 4.0
A band I never heard of, an album of songs I didn’t recognise. What a treat this was. So much going on, interest, varied, fun. Definitely one I will keep coming back to
Art rock with a sense of dread but full of catchy hooks and a smart pop element, loved this album when it was out and it still sounds good. Halfway Home & DLZ are superb but it’s a great, maybe forgotten, album.
I wasn’t expecting nothing with this one, 2008 was about something else for me, and also I don’t like the title lol, but it’s a gorgeous record and I liked a lot, I’m sad to see I missed so much Mack in my youth but also glad I keep founding this gems
Can't place who they remind me of. Family Tree reminds me of Coldplay, but also some other pop/rock bands (Fun? Passion pit?) A Little bit slow, downbeat at times for my tastes. I like the instrumentation though, quite rich and musical, strings, horns etc. But then Red dress is funky, do I know this already?? Very danceable. Album is a grower. Prefer the second half.
Liked this. Good energy good tunes. Would listen to again. 3.5 and rounding up.
Never listened to TV On The Radio that i know of before. Enjoyed the album. Music was good. Had it on loop all day but don't think any of the songs will really stay with me. Don't think it'd be a 'favourite'.
Really enjoyed this, hadn't heard of them before but will check out some of their other stuff. Red dress and love dog were the stand out tracks for me.
This is huge. A barn stormer of an album. Heard it get great reviewers but never properly explored until. I’ll definitely be revisiting this one!
Didn't listen to the while thing but very cool. Some parts have that intense small sound thing in only one ear thats v uncomfy in a good way
I'm not familiar with this band at all. I read that this album is universally acclaimed though, so I'm intrigued. Introductory song is disarming. I get Fleet Foxes/Band of Horses vibe. Maybe the Postal Service. So we'll see if that vibe carries through. The singer sounds just like the guy from the band Milky Chance. I enjoyed this album quite a bit. The sound is great. It's got lots of what I look for in a music listening experience, great rhythm, a build of unique instrumentation, good lyrics, and toe-tapping beats. I was kind of sad when this one ended!
I have had a small bit of exposure to this group, but hadn’t listened to them enough to be able to readily identify any of their songs. I probably have heard some of these before… It took a couple of listens for this to click with me, but after that I enjoyed quite a bit of this. The music is great with varied with a lot of interesting instruments and arrangements. The lyrics are also pretty interesting. “Family Tree” is the first song I really locked in on. I loved the orchestration and found the lyrics very moving. After that I started paying closer attention to the lyrics and was surprised by their intricacy. Other songs that stood out for me included “Halfway Home,” “Dancing Choose” (great rapidfire delivery on the verses!), “Golden Age” (great chorus with those horns!), “Love Dog,” “Shout Me Out” (awesome build and ending) and “DLZ” (another great dog song!). This album is chock full of good stuff…
I know nothing of TV On The Radio or this album. I enjoyed being introduced to both. The indie rock vibe with a funk element made for a different and interesting sound. Sometimes I was kind of dancing and other times I was just chilling. I did not fall in love with all the tracks, but I also didn't feel compelled to skip over any.
A good rock record with an experimental spice to it. Favorites: "Halfway Home", "Love Dog", "DLZ"
Love this. It really is a mash up of so many influences and it sounds great.
Yep, this album has everything: techno synths, diverse in range, reminiscent of the 90s and 00s scene, even reminds me of video games here and there; spoken word, very punk-like in delivery and instrumental back-up but structurally like rap; funk to the strip, sometimes straight-up using the disco formula; indie rock, characterizing the backbone of this album, taking inspirations from other experimental rock bands like Radiohead. Clearly a ton of effort went into the artistic production of each track. Tracks are busy, full of ten different channels going on that somehow harmonize into a coherent mass that fascinates me at every second. Very few bands are able to do that well, but when it hits, you can't pull your ears away. Each track is loud and compelling, even the less remarkable tracks have a lot going for them. I can't wait to explore the rest of their discography.
Conforme el disco fue avanzando y con las pasadas que le di me gustó más y más. Al principio me parecía inconexo y hasta me estaba cayendo mal la voz, que siento que en Dancing Shoes le tira a imitar a Bowie, pero luego avanza y Golden Age me hizo prestar más atención y de ahí el disco se va para arriba y hasta el final es muy bueno. Aunque lo agregué a mi biblioteca, no le doy las 5 estrellas porque el inicio siguió sin gustarme, incluso después de escucharlo más veces.
Intéressant, je connaissais pas vraiment Prefs: Halfway Home, Crying, Dancing Choose, Family Tree, Shout Me Out, Lover's Day Moins pref: Red Dress
These guys really knocked it out of the park with Wolf like me on their debut album. This, their second album doesn’t have a similar killer track but it’s still pretty damned good. I love how they distill so many musical influences into a distinctive and unique sound. There really isn’t another group that sounds like TVotR, and I especially love the lead vocalist Tunde Adebimpe’s vocals, he’s got the perfect voice for the modern age. Released in 2008 this album sounds like it could have been released yesterday.
The first song, with it's doo-woppy Ramones-y intro followed by breathy and bleak vocals is a good indication of what's to come. They jump around nicely between moods and genres without it ever feeling contrived. Somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me.
This is an interesting indie rock album that show one of the best things in the genre, that is mixing other styles to make compelling songs. In this case, funk, soul and post-punk share the space with a more traditional rock and the result is never boring. "Golden Age" and "DLZ" are great songs, and "Crying" is something of a hidden gem. Adebimpe and Malone voices, together, make this album an unique listen.
Un mood leggero, musica tranquilla con qualche guizzo. Canzoni molto ascoltabili, un buon sound, bello.
It's a neat record. Each song is so lavish and dense with instrumentation that it was kind of an exhausting listen, although I was also just quite sleepy when I started listening to it. The track of complete silence was justified, and the band definitely knew what experience this record would give. The lyrics are beautiful, poetic and kind of cryptic, but my biggest complaint is the vocals of one of the singers is not that great. 7/10
First encounter with this record but I was already hooked on Seeds from a bit later. Already with Dear Science I get exactly the same energy and precise engineering. Reminiscent of the clinical rhythm of Radiohead In Rainbows and the open jubilation of Arcade Fire The Suburbs. I don't know what it is about TV that is so engaging - not that you can even try to sing along - but the composition and studio work are so tight you can't help but get wound up.
Pleasantly surprised! There's strong new wave and post-punk undertones on all the tracks that I'm so into. There's also an element of funky IDGAF cool that reminds me of Prince on a few tracks. This one grabbed me by my earholes and took me somewhere I didn't know I wanted to go.
I had obviously heard and enjoyed several TVOTR songs prior to this, but had never actually gone and listened to an album before—that was a mistake on my part. Excellent and diverse instrumentation, a lot of those driving beats that I love, and plenty of funk. Second half falls off a bit for me, but the outro of “Halfway Home” and the entirety of “Crying” are some incredible album openers. Best songs: Halfway Home, *Crying*, Stork & Owl, Golden Age, DLZ * - favorite song
For a band touted as highly as TVOTR, this medium being the first intersection makes this reviewer wonder just how divergent each path taken was. Whether or not TVOTR matches the hype is a question. This album from 2008, and it is certainly starts off as a great album, and yet it only finishes as a good one. TVOTR has a certain variety that is equal parts amazing and then a bit confounding in the way that experimental music tends to invoke. Comparisons to Radiohead do not seem apropos here, since TVOTR is way more appealing to this reviewer. There's a lot to appreciate about this album, but maybe a bit too much. The silver lining is that it is all subjectively good and one cannot help but to respect and appreciate that. Perhaps looking at this album as a fresh take on pop, funk, soul, hiphop, etc. within the same recording is the way to approach this, but it is certainly not surprising if it feels a bit much because of that. However, TVOTR does not seem to suffer an identity crisis and feels right at home with every song and that deserves a good deal of credit.
Big fan of this. I heard Return to Cookie Mountain only a month or so ago and really liked it, and this was great as well. This is definitely a band I need to listen to more of
Excellent stuff- was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Lots of chill music with some bops thrown in too.
I bought this album in 2008 from iTunes without hearing any song before from TV on the Radio. Crazy to think of in 2022, but such was the power of being promoted on the iTunes front page. Helps this is one of the best albums of the 2000s. Sounds so incredible. First half is all killer. The second half when it slows down a bit I check out a little, but it does keep the quality all the way through. *upon further research I think it may have been the glowing review in Pitchfork that drove me buy this. I actually thought they didn’t like TV on the Radio. Must have been someone else, I remeber reading in an article the author was talking about things that are garbage and they mentioned ‘TV on the Radio songs that aren’t about wolves’. What a weird dig lol
I've listened to Return to Cookie Mountain a lot and it's my favorite of their catalog. Their follow-up is a lot more funky with plenty of percussive groove everywhere. It also has some nice ethereal cuts to break it up. Overall a very solid record.
I had to read the album title and band name twice because they are both completely new to me, so my mind reversed them (sounds cool either way, for whatever that's worth). Glad this project introduced me to them because I enjoy their music. Their compositional style really sits nicely with my listening ears, and they are outstanding performers, vocally and instrumentally. I like their sound. I'll have to hear more of their stuff.
Bombastic, tender, soulful, energetic… I wasn’t familiar with this album at all, but TV on the Radio’s “Dear Science” is a real gem of the late ‘00s indie scene. TV on the Radio are rare representatives of Black indie music, and are presumably one of very few Black indie bands on this list. So rare, in fact, that I’m ashamed to say I spent the first listen convinced they were white, cringing at the rap in “Dancing Choose”, thinking it was all misguided cultural appropriation. When I realised this wasn’t the case, I felt like an idiot but could at least listen with fresh ears and get into the matter of the music. There’s an impressive array of mood and energy across the rest of the album: “Halfway Home” is an urgent, irrepressible anthem, all nervous energy spilling over into catharsis. “Dancing Choose” is a winning shot of adrenaline, fuelled with passion and rage as it fires across all cylinders. “DLZ” is a swirling vortex of angst and hopelessness: dark, brooding and dramatic, it’s music to soundtrack the end of the world. But the standout is “Golden Age”. It’s the hit here, and it’s fairly easy to see why: an unashamedly simple chorus managing to soar above the noise, between effortlessly cool funk in the verses. “Dear Science” also showcases a great blend of sound and instrumentation, to give strong dynamic range: the looping synth in ballad “Crying” flutters perfectly around the swells of strings and horns, while the brass section in “Red Dress” injects some drive into proceedings. Where the album fell down a little for me were in the more delicate numbers: while “Family Tree” is the restrained, gorgeous exception, it renders the other more tender numbers inadequate and unnecessary. “Stork & Owl”’s plodding beat and backing vocals are a bit clumsy, and “Love Dog” is a bit of nothing which leaves no impression. We end on “Lover’s Day”, a fun, bombastic finale and one of the most sincere expressions of sexual longing I’ve heard in a while, though the lyrics do read a bit like a horny teenager getting distracted from his poetry class. All in all, this is an invaluable album for its time period. I picked up on shades of Arcade Fire’s energy and LCD Soundsystem’s genre-hopping and production, but there’s so much more than that going on. “Dear Science” is a world of fierce talent and restless innovation- bravo.
First time I've ever heard the band, let alone the album. But this was amazing! So glad I discovered it
I had forgotten how much I liked this record. In my head it was a lot of falsetto, but that wasn't as prevalent as I remembered. Several jams on here. Best track: DLZ
i hate this album cover "crying" has a really nice slap technique on the riffs throughout the lead singers voice is really nice reminds me of captial cites in a way the closer has an incredible saxophone performance i will be returning to tracks like "crying" and "DLZ" frequently i think 7/10
I'm curious what musical silence would sound like now. For a real review, I generally liked this album! It's pretty obvious to me how Dear Science and TV On The Radio had major influence on the early 2010s indie-pop scene. Some of these experimental sounds trickled down to MGMT, Phoenix, and Passionpit. This album also demonstrats TV On The Radio's extensive audio layering skills. While it may have gotten a little formulaic, every song slowly built to a cresendo of chaos and sound but still made sense! Overall, I liked this album. It's not a "classic", but its enjoyable and influential. Best Songs: Dancing Choose, DLZ, Golden Age Worst Songs: Red Dress, Make Love All Night Long Honorable Mentions: Heroic Dose (sounds like what I imagine a heroic dose to feel like)
As in the album before this one, *Return To Cookie Mountain*, the best and most effective tracks on *Dear Science* are the ones written and sung by Tunde Adebimpe (lively opener "Halfway Home", for example, or the string of tunes he penned that are lined up on side B--far better than the first--, especially the moving ballad "Family Tree" and the mellifluous "Love Dog" and "DLZ"). In comparison, Kyp Malone's funkier tracks are OK, but they're less intense or enticing, except for the great single "Golden Age", where Malone nicely channels "Golden Years"-era Bowie in both his songwriting and performance. Dave Sitek's production chops are highly skilled too (the Eno influence on "Halfway Home" is a very nice touch), but to me, the real soul of TV On The Radio is neither him nor Malone, it's Adebimpe. Given the relatively uneven nature of those two records, and in spite of the hype that was associated to them--which made me own them at the time--I would still hesitate putting those records in a list of 1001 essential albums, however. I would love to because of the Adimbepe cuts, but not at the expense of other great LPs missing in this list. When I'm "Halfway Home", maybe I will see things a little clearer as to what I can keep, and what I can put aside. It's not *real* science anyway, is it? Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 850 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 82 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 38 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 31
I enjoyed listening to this album. It's not perfect, and nothing grabbed me in that "you have to listen again right now" way, but overall I quite liked it.
Forgot how good this band is. Dear Science is my third favorite album of theirs, and I listened to/appreciated it again, and Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes and Return To Cookie Mountain.
Another album I'd never heard of. Good vibe, refreshingly different, and the diverse rhythms made it immensely listenable. Is it just me or are the vocal stylings oddly reminiscent of Flight of the Conchords?
This isn't an immediately-accessible album; I feel like I've proven that to myself twice now - when it was first released I was given a copy of it and listened to it a number of times on the train on a long commute and it took some time to click, which it eventually did. For whatever life reason I hadn't listened to this in over a decade and today I'm feeling the same on the first re-listen .... so I know :D The vocals always gave me an early solo Peter Gabriel feel; not always necessarily with the voice but with the inflections and style of singing. Progressive music for the 21st century? Maybe (minus any overly-long tracks) - there are so many layers to this both in song construction and instrumentation; and perhaps the lack of a lot of repetition is the precise reason that it takes some time to fully digest this album. It's anti-pop. Personal highlights: "Halfway Home" "Shout Me Out" and "DLZ" wavering between a 3 and 4 but it's so unique that I'll round up 7/10 4 stars
Amazing sound, loved how the songs flowed together. Production is insane on this thing, as someone who’s never heard the band this made me want to listen to the rest of their discography. Not as much a fan of the “pop” songs on this, but theyre still really solid.
This album is like a Coldplay meets Prince, that oddly sounds like Elvis Costello at times. Weird album, but overall a pretty good listen. It starts off a bit weak, but the songs pick up in the second half are provide the listener a lot more excitement.
Fantastic album, not all top 10 tracks but overall an excellent listen. 4/5
Weird album to rate. I had never even heard of these guys. Interesting mix of songs. Each one has a unique style. I don’t usually like new artists when I hear them for the first time so I tend to judge them a bit harshly. I actually ended up listening to this one twice since it was so interesting. Songs reminded me of several different artists: David Bowie, Tom Petty, B-52’s, Muse. Red Dress was one song I liked the first time I heard it.
Never heard these guys before. Good stuff. Possibly great stuff. Only time will tell. But I'm glad I heard it and I will check out more of their music.
A bunch of years ago a casual acquaintance was talking about how good this band was. They were so enthusiastic about them that, when asked, I agreed that they were good. I never listened to them until today. It turns out I wasn’t lying. I would play this album on purpose and if the 1001 albums ever end I may even investigate more of their stuff. I got a Beck vibe from some of the songs, starting with Crying. I really like Heroic Dose. And the song with the line about getting so high that their face melts off. I think it’s Lovers Day.
It is a vibe. Musically interesting, good use of voice as instrument. I don't pay any attention to the lyrics but that feels fine. They feel Canadian -- I don't know why or what that means but they do.
Stellar post-punkish build-ups. Generic electronic fiddlings. 2000's indie rock at its funkiest.
A brilliant album, full of exploration, experimentation and some great sounds. TV On The Radio are quite undefinable, hard to pin down, but you keep discovering new things with every listen.
I remembered that it took a while to get into at the time... and it was the same again having not listened to it for a few years, so had to listen three times to be sure. Complex and admirable, but not always engaging. A very good album nevertheless and worth spending time to appreciate.
Pretty solid record. I like TV on the Radio, they’re a solid good modern band
Ok album no bad songs but nothing too exciting. Nothing really memorable about it a day later
3.5, é bom, gostei do clima pra cima e calmo. Golden age é a melhor do album
This was pretty alright. It was kinda funky, so it made for a good listen. It definitely got old by the end of the album, though.
Somewhere along the way I confused "TV on the Radio" with "Girl Talk", so I was surprised to hear more of an indie-rock sound. Digging the vocals. Some nice little flourishes/ear candy bits in a few songs as well. A little too straightforward for me in some ways though. 3.5 down to 3.