TV on the Radio - Week 3

Jason:
Week 3: TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
This is not my favorite TV on the Radio Record. I give that title to Dear Science. Though I am generally drawn to very complex things, I prefer Dear Science's more minimal approach because it focuses on the singing, which is really what I like about it anyway. That is not to sa...y this is not a strong collection of music. It simply has taken me multiple listens to get into. and I have found some of my favorite music that way. Return to Cookie mountain presents a good challenge, with some pretty enjoyable moments.
"I was a Lover" is a really cool intro tune. Samples, noise, and dissonant drum beats are abound in this song. The second song isn't quite as loud, but there is a huge emphasis on a loud sound.
Province has a wonderful bit of space, between the vocal layering and the spacey keyboards. Next to I was a lover, Wolf like me stands out quite strongly here.
The one thing that does frustrate me about this record is it's disorienting musical experimentation. Don't get me wrong, I am all for bands pushing their limits. This was the sort of thing that made My Bloody Valentine's album 'Loveless' both an incredibly enjoyable listen, yet completely agitating to absorb upon the first listen. The biggest difference is where that album contrasted harsh and soothing sounds, this record tends to rub harsh against harsh, whether it's the snare drums, the build up of random sounds. In fact, every time I listen to Cookie Mountain, I find new details I did not find before. As loud as it can get, these are deceptively simple songs.
The strongest part of this album and this band in general in my opinion is the singer. His voice is extremely soulful, and he has no problem sharing vocal space with others. I have to admit, I can't understand most of the lyrics, but I like hearing the vocals, so it doesn't matter too much.
The production quality of these songs has me curious to see this band live. It seems hard to differentiate between pre-recorded samples and what gets played by the band.
overall the songwriting is quirky, pretty fearless, but never does so to sacrifice an enjoyable sound. there is a lot of good energy.

Kris:
Week 3: TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) - This may very well be my favorite overall album of 2006 and without a doubt my favorite TV on the Radio album. This is TV on the Radio's third album after 2002's OK Calculator and 2004's Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes. This album involved expanding the lineup from the... original trio of Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone and David Andrew Sitek to include Jaleel Bunton on drums and Gerard Smith on bass and keyboards. Smith recently died of lung cancer at the age of 34, which is something I am still coming to terms with as of this writing. The songwriting on this album is phenomenally deep, cryptic and presented with such diversity that it is bound to be an album that you keep coming back to because of. It makes me think of trying to crack open a bond to get to the marrow within. That is how worthwhile knowing an album like this is to me. As a few notable points in personnel go, this album also features David Bowie performing backup vocals on Province and Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino on Hours. If you are looking for something to get you awake and going in the morning, go with Wolf Like Me, although you might find yourself hitting down the gas a bit more with that one.