TV on the Radio the next band in outer space
von Wade Coggeshall am 9.10.2008
Those enamored with TV on the Radio’s heretofore layered, cosmic ardor certainly shouldn’t expect the Brooklyn collective to remain sonically still.
They haven’t, not with “Dear Science,” their second major-label release. While touchstones like the quintet’s vocal harmonies and painterly textures are still intact, the progressive rhythms infusing their new songs could be the future of dance music.
“The albums are all different, and that’s part of the approach, to keep yourself interested,” said drummer Jaleel Bunton by phone during a recent tour stop in Los Angeles.
The only difference in the conception of “Dear Science” as compared to past productions, Bunton says, was the newfound democracy within the band.
“As far as writing, there was more collaboration, which didn’t necessarily happen before,” he said. “We’re growing together as a unit. We kind of learned on the job. Now we’ve gotten to explore each other a little more. We’re more cohesive now.”
To many ears, a cursory listen to TV on the Radio yields an aural palate beyond a layperson’s sensory comprehension. Buried within multiple tracks are elements of doo-wop, psychedelic, and numerous genres of rock that can be construed as hopeful or morose. Subsequent consumption, however, reveals soundscapes that repeatedly offer something new.
Such a milieu has put TV on the Radio in a class of its own. But having such an ambitious sound should be par for the course, Bunton says.
“In the era and time we live in, we’re exposed to music from every part of the world and every time period,” he said. “It just seems impossible to define yourself in one way. Too many musicians I’ve listened to encapsulate so much of what I feel is my experience. That seems normal now. I’m surprised the idea of being unclassifiable is at all exceptional.”
As surprising to Bunton is that any corporate record label, in this age of short attention spans and singles-driven marketing, would want to sign a band as experimental as TV on the Radio.
“They got what they wanted,” he said of Interscope Records. “That’s one reason we decided going to a major label would be OK. I’ve been an outsider/indie kid my whole life. We had already established ourselves as fringe. Interscope signed us with that understanding. We didn’t get signed to make hits.”
And Bunton never joined TV on the Radio with the intention of a permanent residency. In fact guitar is his primary instrument.
“I’m a complete hack and charlatan on the drums,” he said. “I’m kind of a hack and charlatan playing guitar too, but I’m a more convincing hack playing guitar than drums.”
He was only supposed to fill in during a month-long tour. That was five years ago. Though Bunton also plays guitar, bass, organ, piano, and synths for TV on the Radio, he remains the de facto drummer because he’s the best member at it.
“Musicianship is a weird thing,” Bunton said. “I know plenty of versatile musicians whom I can’t stand to listen to. It’s way more about intent. It’s not that you shouldn’t have some kind of virtuosity, but if you can make your emotional statement translate, then you’ve succeeded in making art.”