Review | 'Nine Types of Light' | TV On The Radio

Brooklyn group provides the soul in their most intimate release yet.

8/10
[Interscope, 4AD]


It's difficult to use the phrase "in a nutshell" when referring to Brooklyn-based TV On The Radio. The quintet's alternative funk ambience defies the very words used to describe them. Guitarists Kyp Malone and David Sitek have been too difficult to pigeonhole, throwing listeners for a loop on every record.

With 2004's Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, they were known as an artsy indie band. Two years later they were stark and anthemic on Return to Cookie Mountain. But 2008's Dear Science was a break from the more introspective, bringing hard-hitting soul to the mix.

And three years later, TVOTR is looking to improve on Nine Types of Light, with a tried-and-true formula that we saw so fluently executed on Dear Science.

The bombastic audacity of Dear Science is not as truly evident on this record. Rather, the soulful music is used on the opposite spectrum of rock, casting an intimate mood in the lyrics. Singer Tunde Adebimpe plays his role dynamically, as evidenced in the first track, "Second Song."

An earnest Adebimpe sings to open the record, “Confidence and ignorance approved me, define my day today / I've tried so hard to shut it down like an oath, gently walk away. The track rolls along, hitting brief, accidental choruses that give the impression that we're in a gospel revival, and Adebimpe is our get-down minister.

Risking irreverence, it is also fair to say this is TVOTR's sexiest record. Highlights, such as the ostinato roll on "You," or the intimate single "Will Do," provide sensual slow jams with enough heart to avoid cliché.

One can live without the future single “Keep Your Heart,” which lulls on for a seemingly endless period of time. The chorus, "I'm gonna keep your heart," sounds more possessive than loving.

But the record is certainly catchy; even the beautiful acoustic “Killer Crane” provides a well-needed break from the dance-heavy front side. But the one thing TVOTR fans will need to overcome to enjoy the record is its lack of versatility. The eighth track, “Repetition,” is witty, but constantly regurgitating, “My repetition, my repetition is this.”

It’s cute, it’s catchy; it’s also a re-hash of umpteen other moments on the album. Yes, it certainly provides the perfect lyrical significance that we haven’t heard executed since the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Give it Away.”

But still, with something as consistently ever-changing as TVOTR, the rhythm section is at its finest. Drummer Jaleel Bunton’s beats hit with in-your-face fervor, and bassist Gerard Smith’s lines are as loud as ever, albeit less accented and a little more difficult to decipher.

That being said, most listeners will appreciate the new music, especially the long-awaited riffs that are inherently fun. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with throwing a few foxy crunches our way, is there?