#9 - TV On The Radio - Careful You
TV on the Radio are an extremely popular indie group who layer heavy synths and loops into exciting distorted guitars and the unmistakable voice of singer Babatunde Adebimpe. The boys are best known for their 2006 single "Wolf Like Me" and follow up album "Dear Science", which landed at #12 on the Billboard 200. The band have had a consistent lineup for their entire existence, but took a small break in 2011 when their bassist passed away. Their newest album "Seeds" is easily one of my favorite discs of the year, despite being a band that normally flew under my radar for being a bit too experimental. The album shoots all over the place and pulses through you like a thousand watts of aural excitement. Other great tracks include the hit single "Happy Idiot" (#27 on the US Modern Rock chart), "Lazerray", "Quartz", "Trouble", and the slow mystic trance that is "Test Pilot"
But the from the moment I heard the song "Careful You", with it's super-syrupy synth opening that drizzles drum and bass together with mysterious French lyrics in the opening line, I was hooked. I honestly only gave the disc a spin because I knew they were one of those bands who could pump out a hit single every here and there (almost like The Shins). But "Careful You" was a pulsing anthem that blasted through my head for the better part of the first half of this year. It's a love song that doesn't feel like a love song. A song about rescuing a broken relationship in which both parts care for each other. A true #1 contender that fell off late but still managed to splash in at #9. I must have listened to this chorus on repeat a dozen times in a row when Kelly and I were driving to Michigan this summer.
It's nothing but heavy hitters from here on out, although I have quite the surprise for you all at #8. Stay tuned!
Title: Careful You
Artist: TV On The Radio
Album: Seeds
Previous #9s
2014: Aurelio Voltaire - Captains All
2013: Deadlock - The Arsonist
2012: Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
2011: The Limousines - Internet Killed The Video Star
2010: Dan Black - Symphonies
2009: The Killer and the Star - Living With Musicians
I saw them in July. Great show.
ReplyDeleteOn the way to the show, I listened to Seeds and realized why the album left me cold when I first listened to it last winter... It's a summer album. It's a album for rolled down windows and opened sun roofs.
Once i figured out the right context, everything feel into place.