TV on the Radio @ Central Park Summerstage, 6/5/09

The steady rain last Friday was enough to scare away my lady and I was admittedly on the fence throughout the day. It only took the first few notes of "Love Dog" over a sea of umbrellas to know that I made the right decision. TV on the Radio have made great strides in their live performance since the last time I saw them. Having Antibalas on horns throughout adds a lot more depth and energy to the set and the band hit their stride early on and never let up. Then again, they can do no wrong in my book.

Set List:
Love Dog
Wrong Way
Blues From Down Here
Halfway Home
Golden Age
Wolf Like Me
Crying
Dirtywhirl
Staring at the Sun
Red Dress
Shout Me Out
Dancing Choose
DLZ
--------
Family Tree
Young Liars
A Method

Paste Mag Picks 11 Best TV On the Radio Songs

Paste Mag selected the 11 best TV On the Radio songs (right now) and since it's an ode to Travis Morrison (The Dismemberment Plan) and I happen to love TVOTR, I'll post their list followed by my own picks.

11. "Province" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
10. "Halfway Home" (Dear Science)
9. "I Was a Lover" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
8. "Love Dog" (Dear Science)
7. "New Health Rock" (New Health Rock EP)
6. "Golden Age" (Dear Science)
5. "The Wrong Way" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
4. "Ambulance" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
3. "Young Liars" (Young Liars EP)
2. "Wolf Like Me" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
1. "Staring at the Sun" (Young Liars EP/Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

I actually agree with the first two selections but in reverse order. I would go with something like this:

1. "Wolf Like Me" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
2. "Staring at the Sun" (Young Liars EP/Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
3. "King Eternal" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
4. "Golden Age" (Dear Science)
5. "Playhouses" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
6. "Young Liars" (Young Liars EP)
7. "Blues from Down Here" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
8. "DLZ" (Dear Science)
9. "Halfway Home" (Dear Science)
10. "The Wrong Way" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
11. "Satellite" (Young Liars EP)

A.V. Club Interview with Tunde Adebimpe

AVC: Adam Drucker [mastermind of Oakland band Subtle] recently mentioned that something may be brewing between the two of you and Mike Patton. What can you say about that?

TA: What I can say is that the three of us are indeed working on a project that I'm thinking will congeal toward the end of the year. It came from an idea that Adam had, to have the three of us basically mess around vocally and see what comes of it. That's as much as I can say, but I'm psyched about it. It's going to be so fun.

Read the full interview

Iran

A few weeks ago, while taking in all of the greatness that is TV On The Radio's latest masterpiece, Dear Science, I managed to come across Kyp Malone's other band/project, Iran. I don't really know how I missed this previously because from what I've heard thus far, it's excellent. Their first album came out in 2001 and the 'Fork gave it a 9.6. Now they have a 3rd album coming out and BV has posted the first track. Sitek is, of course, producing.

From MySpace:
Fans of experimental noise-popsters Iran know that seeing them is even rarer than catching a glimpse of the reclusive Jeff Mangum, but those fans will soon have cause to celebrate. Sort of. The quartet of singer/multi-instrumentalist Aaron Aites, guitarist Kyp Malone (also of TV on the Radio), guitarist/bassist Peter Hoffman (The Mendoza Line), and guitarist Aaron Romanello (Grand Mal), are planning to release an as-yet untitled album sometime this year. Produced by David Andrew Sitek (another member of TV on the Radio), the album is being recorded at Gigantic Studios in Tribeca and will be released through Narnack Records. Speaking with Pitchfork by phone last Friday, Aites described the new album as "very hi-fi", and "more structured" and "fully fleshed out" than their previous two outings, Iran and The Moon Boys. He also said it's more lyric-based (in the vein of The Moon Boys), with material sounding "louder and grimmer." They're also planning a single release for "Buddy", but have no firm release date for that either. They do, however, have some track titles:

I Can See the Future
Buddy
I Already Know You're Wrong
Airport '79
Baby Let's Get High One Last Time
Digital Clock and Phone
Where I'm Going
Cape Canaveral / Buddy Reprise
Can I Feel What?
Evil Summer

Stream New TV on the Radio

An epic first track from the album, Dear Science (dropping on September 23rd), titled "Golden Age". The love affair continues: [www.TVontheRadio.com].

TV On The Radio's fall tour dates:

Sep 5 - Roseland | Portland, Oregon
Sep 6 - Showbox | Seattle, Washington
Sep 7 - Commodore | Vancouver, British Columbia
Sep 9 - MacEwan | Ballroom Calgary, Alberta
Sep 10 - Starlite | Room Edmonton, Alberta
Sep 12 - Big Easy | Boise, Idaho
Sep 13 - In the Venue | Salt Lake City, Utah
Sep 14 - Red Rocks Amphitheater | Morrison, Colorado
Sep 19 - Street Scene | San Diego, California
Sep 20 - Treasure Island | San Francisco, California
Oct 10 - Electric Factory | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 11 - Lupo's | Providence, Rhode Island
Oct 13 - Wilbur Theatre | Boston, Massachusetts
Oct 14 - Masonic Temple | Brooklyn, New York
Oct 15 - Masonic Temple | Brooklyn, New York
Oct 18 - Bogarts | Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct 19 - Vogue Theatre | Indianapolis, Indiana
Oct 20 - First Ave | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 21 - First Ave | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 22 - Riviera | Chicago, Illinois
Oct 24 - Voodoo Festival | New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 25 - Tabernacle | Atlanta, Georgia
Oct 26 - Bijou Theatre | Knoxville, Tennessee
Oct 28 - Lakewood Theatre | Dallas, Texas
Oct 30 - Stubb's | Austin, Texas
Oct 31 - Diamond Ballroom | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nov 6 - Wiltern | Los Angeles, California
Nov 8 - 4th and B | San Diego, California

8 Track: Recent Addictions

"He lay listening to the water drip in the woods. Bedrock, this. The cold and the silence. The ashes of the late world carried on the bleak and temporal winds to and fro in the void. Carried forth and scattered and carried forth again. Everything uncoupled from its shoring. Unsupported in the ashen air. Sustained by a breath, trembling and brief. If only my heart were stone." Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Simple, haunting beauty.
MP3: Lightning Dust - "Listened On" [ALT]


Probably not the best track on this album, which says a lot. I can almost guarantee this album will be in my Top Five come year's end.
MP3: Dinosaur Jr. - "Pick Me Up" [ALT]


Everything a great cover should be.
MP3: Franz Ferdinand - "All My Friends" [ALT]


My favorite track on this album changes daily. Right now I'm grooving on "Slow Show". Thursday night. At the 'Roo.
MP3: The National - "Slow Show" [ALT]


It's hard to improve upon this track, but Diplo adds another dimension. The pieces that make it great are left in and then a killer beat and rhyme are dropped on top of the music. It's not better than the original (found on the CD above), but it's pretty fucking great.
MP3: TV On The Radio - "Staring at the Sun" (Diplo Hollertronix Remix) [ALT]


An unconventional leadoff track for an album, but an absolute beast of a song. A stumbling, drunken love song that weaves it's way right into the listener's heart and soul. I'm looking forward to catching Wilco (and Nels Cline) for the first time ever at Bonnaroo.
MP3: Wilco - "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" [ALT]


Still my favorite Pumpkins track.
MP3: Smashing Pumpkins - "Soma" [ALT]


Not their best album by any stretch of the imagination, but it has it's high points. "Not What You Wanted" is one of the peaks.
MP3: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Not What You Wanted" [ALT]

TV On The Radio - Live @ Amoeba Music

[Photo Credit]

After "the interview". After the introduction to LA nightlife. After the time change had worn off. After completing The Road but while it still lingered, still dominated my thoughts. After all of that I wandered into Amoeba Music in Hollywood. I passed it unintentionally, cruising Sunset Boulevard, looking. Watching. Staring. Wondering. The radio was on 107.9. iPod FM.

Then the big sign. Mecca. Amoeba Music rising from the slowly deteriorating cityscape surrounding Sunset. I rolled in on a mission: The Mars Volta - singles; Pearl Jam - rarities; indie goodness of any form; Boris - Akuma No Uta and TV On The Radio's Live at Amoeba Music.

Four tracks. All of them delicious in their own TVotR way. You can grab this beast online...and I highly recommend it. I guess that goes without saying. Every post is a recommendation in its own little way. "From the depths...I...called...you, ma..."



MP3: TV On The Radio - "Blues From Down Here" (Live @ Amoeba Music)

TV On The Radio @ 9:30 Club, 4.19.07

I feel like there is a track (or three) missing in here. Perhaps after "Blues" or before "Dirty Whirl". I don't know. I thought I saved the whole thing in my phone and I didn't. Fantastic show. They continue to get better with every performance. This was far and away the best I have seen of them. An almost correct setlist:

"Tonight"
"The Wrong Way"
"Dreams"
"Province"
"Wolf Like Me"
"Young Liars"
"Dirty Whirl"
"Blues From Down Here"
"Snakes and Martyrs"
"Dry Drunk Emperor"
"Satellite"

Encore
"A Method"
"Let the Devil In"
"Staring at the Sun"

TV On The Radio Last Night

TV On The Radio on Jimmy Kimmel Live

It started like this. I was texting JK with the setlist and then I lost my grip. Lost control. And couldn't stop dancing. The first eight tracks were...

"Young Liars"
"Wrong Way"
"Dreams"
"Province"
"Wolf Like Me"
"I Was a Lover"
"Dirty Whirl"
"Blues From Down Here"

Closed with "A Method". Encore was "Staring at the Sun". Anyone have a more complete setlist? "Let the Devil In" was in there somewhere, as was "King Eternal"...maybe? Someone help me out. "Wash the Day Away" was definitely in there.

Pics and a better recap to follow.

TV On The Radio @ Amoeba Music

Watch the video.
Buy the CD.
Read the review at Pitchfork.

What was I saying about my favorite bands in the mofo universe?

TV On The Radio - "Province" Live

Searching YouTube after my descent into the BMW short films with Clive Owen, I discovered this fantastic video of TVOTR performing "Province" live. I was looking for the actual video for "Province" but this is so much better.

TV On The Radio is playing April 18th & 19th at the 9:30 Club with The Noisettes. Tickets are available here.

TV On The Radio Return to 9:30 Club

For two dates in April, TV On The Radio will be performing at the 9:30 Club. We will be at both shows because they are just that good. Here are their plans for the Spring:

Mar 1 Lupos Providence, Rhode Island
Mar 3 Olympia Theater Montreal, Quebec
Mar 4 Koolhaus Toronto, Ontario
Mar 6 Agora Ballroom Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 7 Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
Mar 8 Vogue Indianapolis, Indiana
Mar 9 Browns Theatre Louisville, Kentucky
Mar 9 Firestone Orlando, Florida
Mar 10 Blue Note Columbia, Missouri
Mar 12 Metro Chicago, Illinois
Mar 13 Metro Chicago, Illinois
Mar 17 Harrah's Voodoo Lounge Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 19 Ogden Denver, Colorado
Mar 20 Urban Lounge Salt lake City, Utah
Mar 23 Roseland Portland, Oregon
Mar 24 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, British Columbia
Mar 25 Moore Theatre Seattle, Washington
Mar 28 Fillmore San Francisco, California
Mar 29 Fillmore San Francisco, California
Mar 30 Henry Fonda Hollywood, California
Mar 31 Henry Fonda Hollywood, California
Apr 1 Belly Up Solana Beach, California
Apr 4 Gypsy Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Apr 5 La Zona Rosa Austin, Texas
Apr 6 Meridian Houston, Texas
Apr 9 Firestone Orlando, Florida
Apr 10 Culture Room Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Apr 12 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia
Apr 13 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 17 Norva Norfolk, Virginia
Apr 18 930 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 19 930 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 21 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, New York

From the Bargain Bin @ Tower Records

The $85 photo. Get some. God only knows what retail would have been.

From The Knife's Silent Shout. $4.80.
MP3: The Knife - "Like A Pen"

From Film School's "On & On" CD-EP. $.50.
MP3: Film School - "February"

B-side from LCD Soundsystem's Disco Infiltrator CD-Single. $.50.
MP3: LCD Soundsystem - "Slowdive" (Xfm Session)

From Exit Music, a Radiohead tribute album. $3.80.
MP3: RJD2 - "Airbag" (Radiohead Cover)

B-side from TV On The Radio's Staring at the Sun CD-Single. $.80.
MP3: TV On The Radio - "Freeway"

     

While You Were Eating: Music News

Hope everyone enjoyed a nice holiday. Some news of note:

* Silversun Pickups continue to prove that Pitchfork hate cannot bring them down. 7 PLUG Award nominations and an opening slot on the recent Wolfmother tour later, the band will further expand their reach during Snow Patrol's spring tour and as announced today, a spot on Friday night's Late Show with David Letterman.

* Popmatters has an interview with Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio.

* Interpol is back in the studio for what is rumored to be their major label debut.

* Editors, also in the studio, have revealed some details on their second album. More here.

* It's amazing how much money the Stones and U2 gross on these tours.

* Tool's new single, "The Pot" is Number 1 on Billboard's Singles Chart for Mainstream Rock Tracks, a first for the band.

The National Tonight @ Black Cat

[The National v. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah]

Fuck. Yes.

Many people would have laid down, given up at that point. Blood was all over my lucky T-shirt, my nose was split open, and of the most concern was my comrade-in-arms laid up on a hospital bed. We kept on going. Knocked out a CAT Scan, an X-Ray, watched Frateralus hit on some nurse types, and at the last possible second, made our escape. Left the hospital, hopped in the car and bolted to Albany. On the way up, I spit blood, pondered the presence of internal bleeding that could consume me before I saw Cedric and Omar kick it at the Pepsi Arena, and raved about The National. Sure, we caught TV On The Radio the night before, and we were on the way to see The Mars Volta and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but The National was still on the horizon. That was Saturday morning.

Fast forward to today and I have a scab that runs the length of my forearm from that same streetfight I reluctantly entered last Friday night. On top of that I have a chipped tooth (maybe two, my tongue is still deciding) and an eye that is a sweet mix of purple and yellow. In the mirror this morning I noticed that there is also some yellow from a bruise I did not even know I had on my forehead. Luckily, my hands and knuckles are pretty sore as well. Maybe it wasn't as one-sided as it felt.

None of it matters. We're alive.

Tonight it is upon us. The National absolutely slayed Black Cat the last time they played here. Slayed it. The show remains the standard of excellence to this day. I can promise you several things if you attend tonight's show: the drumming is top notch, the energy is feverish, and the songs speak for themselves. Alligator may be the best album of '05 and "Mr. November," "Secret Meeting," "Lit Up," and "Abel" would definitely find their way onto my list of the top songs of last year.

Live Black Sessions
MP3: The National - "All the Wine"
MP3: The National - "Cherry Tree"
MP3: The National - "Mr. November"

Black Cat
THUR OCT 26
THE NATIONAL
w. NETHERS, DEVASTATIONS
$13 mainstage 8:30
[Tickets]

TV On The Radio @ Sonar, 10.20.06

Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio @ Irving Plaza, 10/18/06

No pics (I think InMyTree took enough anyway) but then again, I never take any pictures. Here's the set list.

"Dirtywhirl"
"Dreams"
"Blues from down here"
"Province" (no Bowie)
"Wrong Way"
"Young Liars"
"Wolf Like Me"
"I was a lover"
"New Health Rock"
"Wash the day away"
"Satellite"

Encore:
"Wear You Out"
"Staring at the sun"
"Let the devil in" (with 15 dancing friends)
"Ambulance"

I got to Irving in time to see Grizzly Bear admittedly more so based the reviews of their latest album than anything else. I'm not familiar with their music and it took me a few songs to figure out whether I was buying or selling. By the end of their 45 minute set, they had won me over. They fit the quintessential description of indie rock. They certainly bring a unique sound and even picked up some major points for incorporating a recorder into one of their songs. This was my first time seeing TV on the Radio and it was long overdue. Tunde's stage presence is mesmerizing. By the third song of the night ("Blues from down here") the brass (2 sax, one trumpet) came out on stage - as they did for maybe 50% of the songs - and I was hooked. Overall, I still prefer the recorded version of most of their songs. "Staring at the Sun" and "Wolf Like Me" took on a faster pace but it doesn't even really matter because they put on one hell of a show. They're humble, extremely talented, and amazing performers. The crowd was in a frenzy throughout and I doubt that two more people could have even fit into the the place. This was not a crowd here to see what the hype was about, this was a crowd that knew all the songs and was just as pumped up as I was. I love that.

Striking Fear In The Hearts of Livers Everywhere

3 days and counting until I black out, only to wake up on Sunday morning with hazy memories of catching The Mars Volta (Albany), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Albany), and TV On The Radio (Baltimore) in a 24 hour period across 5 states, stretching 350 miles, running on (an early estimate of) 2 cases of Bud Heavy, 1 case of Pabst Blue Ribbon, 1 case Coors Light, 1 handle Crown Royal, 1 handle Jack Daniel's, and, not to mention, 2 cases of Red Bull to make it home Sunday afternoon night. While I give myself a 75% survival rate, I am putting the hotel room, that I am sharing with five other grown men that should know better, a 5% survival rate. I am going to try and shake the dust off of the festival tested, Metro D approved SmashBerry and get that fucker ready to roll. This will be a weekend for the record books. The Beast (the mother of all coolers, holds 60 cans, with ice, and has wheels) will be making the trip, as will my car, The Silver Bullet. Both are tried and true veterans of other Metro D conflicts, but this...this might be their capstone exercise.

Notables

*JK will be at TVOTR tomorrow night at Irving Plaza.

*Neither Top nor I will attend Art Brut tonight. My mind wants to, but my body says no. I need the both of them to agree in order to move, so there we are. It doesn't help that I'm staring down the barrel of another 4 o'clock work call tomorrow. Fuck. The fact that I already caught Tokyo Police Club kind of kept me at home, as well.

*Ultra8201 has a funny little video here.

*Here comes the fuzz.

*Fabolous had a bad night. He was shot and arrested.

*I like my Black Rebel Motorcycle Club anyway I get it, and this time I'm getting it plugged in. March/February timeframe is the early estimate.

TV On The Radio @ 9:30 Club, 10.15.06 #2

"Live, TVOTR are spellbinding, conjuring a wall of sound within the first few bars, then surging and retreating with a boxer's dexterity. Harmony vocals float unerringly through the noise, and the rhythm section lock into place with a swinging urgency, propelling the music breathlessly forward." - 4AD

Usually, labels fluff it up. They pump their bands and say things about them that may or may not apply. They are pushing CDs, selling you things. But these two sentences, from 4AD's band profile of TVOTR, are all over it. And they are as true as the Sunday night set was powerful.

The raw emotion that pours out of Tunde Adebimpe by the gallon, both in vocal and liquid form, is only part of what makes TV On The Radio so special. You look to the right, at guitarist David Sitek, and you can't see his right hand during "Wolf Like Me." It is a blur. He hammers away at a frantic progression of chords that stirs your blood and makes you believe every word belting out of Tunde. You look to the left, and you are mesmerized by Kyp Malone's falsetto hovering hauntingly out of his beard and over his precise, controlled guitar work. Almost going unnoticed is Gerard Smith, behind the keys and the bass. He is out of the spotlight, but everywhere. Keeping pace with Sitek and Malone, giving each stride an extra ounce of heaviness, distortion, or clarity depending on the movement. Directly behind Tunde is Jaleel Bunton, drums, providing fabulous rhythm, pounding away, and rounding out the group of five.

They sound like nothing else. They have no peer. Name the genre and I will point you to a TVOTR song that has an element of it. Electronica, jazz, hip-hop, trip-hop, trance, rock,...the list is tiring. They burst into the Sunday evening with "The Wrong Way," the first track off of Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, their first non-demo LP. On the album, to the untrained ear, it is all horns. Without those horns, as it was on Sunday, it is still a complete, unadulterated assault, and probably, faster. It sounded like a freight train at warp speed, to the point that I did not even know what song it was until the vocals came in. The gravity with which the sounds hit, and it is clearly sounds and not simply sound, catapults the listener into a euphoric new place. There are no boundaries. It is a limitless expanse with rich textures and an engaging embrace.

I hesitate, catching my breath, after "The Wrong Way" and wonder to myself if it is good or bad that they don't have a brass element to this thing. The thought, the question, is quickly abandoned as "Dreams" reveals itself via Jaleel's steady thump-ba-da-bump-thump. Kyp eases over the beat, a soft harmony at first then forcefully, alliteration ("bartering bellowing / barracking blundering / pillaging plundering / living and lavishing") and all, and the roles reverse for "Blues From Down Here," as Kyp bellows out the opening lines,

"From the depths I called you, ma
for your breath and breast so warm and fabled
Your hands reached inside
grabbed my heart, enlarged, disabled"

just to be met with a steady, focused cadence from Bunton. "Blues" was heavy, pulse-pounding, and cathartic.

They touch just about everything an avid fan needed. I long for "Playhouses," preferably right before "Wolf Like Me," as it is on Return to Cookie Mountain and hope that Friday night's show at Sonar in Baltimore will bring it, in addition to the ethereal "Tonight." But, they played a healthy mix of new and old. While the crowd enthusiasm and attention was the only weak spot, "Young Liars" received a healthy amount of crowd participation during the chorus. "Satellite," another track off of Young Liars rounded out the main set, and while we could see the setlist on the floor in front of Tunde, there was a palpable sense of anticipation from those of us closest to the stage.

After a short time back stage, the group emerged again and quickly resumed business with "Poppy." The encore finished with a vigorous version of "Staring at the Sun" and then "Let the Devil In." Celebration burst out and help the Brooklyn boys with the last track. Katrina Ford, who appeared earlier, providing background vocals for a stirring "Province" (among others), rocked out heavily next to David Sitek, while David Bergander and Sean Antanaitis hammered away on a drum placed in front of Jaleel Bunton's kit. The scene was very reminiscent of their closing tracks at Coachella, with Tunde using a megaphone for "Let the Devil In," alternating mics and moving hectically about the stage.

By the end of "Let the Devil In," Tunde, now without his glasses, is grasping both of his mic stands (there are two), as if they are the only thing keeping him up. He has left everything out there. There is nothing left to give. My only regret is that the crowd wasn't as engaging as he was. There weren't any signs of disrespect, but there wasn't overwhelming responses to gear shifts in the music, or the opening bars of certain songs. Unphased, he is appreciative. Maybe he knows it is a Sunday night, or maybe he understands that some people just don't "get it." Regardless, they continue to blow me away. It is truly a spiritual experience to see them live.

TV On The Radio will play Sonar this Friday night. Tickets are still available.