Lost Lander :: "Cold Feet"

A vaguely dissonant and withering vocal chord gives the distinct impression of early TV On The Radio, quickly includes a hooky, hopeful melody from Lost Lander on single "Cold Feet". It is a buzzy and spacious arrangement featuring the most lyrical bass guitar of 2012, an instrument very nearly speaking its own language and on its own accord, an insistent and monosyllabic tongue. The synths, loops and layers glitter, a credit to the production of Brent Knopf incorporating some of the twinkling architecture of bands like Clock Opera. The final analysis, we assume in response to the title and its implicit reticence, is vocalist Matt Sheehy repeating, "You gotta turn it off," one of those simple denials of the impossible creeping of doubt. It is surely beautiful, these hesitations, uncertain and strikingly fragile moments, a vocal chord held until its layers come apart at the lung capacity.

Listen :: Lost Lander - "Cold Feet"
Listen :: Lost Lander - "Afraid of Summer"

TV On The Radio :: "Will Do"

TV On Radio vocalist Tunde Adebimpe insisted on a sort of apocalyptic, cultural tsunami on 2008's Dear, Science. At his most pessimistic on "DLZ", he cycled through era metaphors, finally settling on, "this is beginning to feel like the bolt busted loose from the lever." In short, our constraints, our moralities, our systems even, will do little to stem this rising tide. On first release, "Will Do" from coming 2011 LP, Nine Types Of Light, Adebimpe opens with the encouraging, "It might be impractical to seek out a new romance/We won't know the actual if we never take the chance." In comparison to the band's earlier thesis statements, this represents a warm and very nearly self-actualizing sentiment. The sound is the sort of well organized cacaphony that colored their previous releases, representing something softer if still familiar. As Tunde finally insists, "My choice of words will bring me back to you," it is a return of sorts, the most anticipated non-Strokes LP of 2011.

TV On The Radio - "Will Do" by Interscope Records

Best and Worst :: Coldplay @ the Grammy's and TVOTR on SNL

It was a big weekend for music. It was allegedly music's "biggest night." Chris Martin was on "60 Minutes," the Grammy's had performances from everyone who sold 1,000,000 plus records this year, and TV on the Radio was on Saturday Night Live. Of course, some of these things played out well and some of them didn't. First, the worst.

Later scholars will debate if this was the worst moment of live music in human history. If you can last through the screeching, pitchy, disaster that is the chorus of "Golden Age," you deserve a medal. It approaches physical pain. Good song, good band, good album - just a bad night at the office. Luckily, NBC will kill this video in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ....

"Golden Age" [Live on SNL]


And then there was Coldplay. Like it or not, you're looking at U2 in real-time. I've gone back-and-forth on this but finally, this is one of the only legitimate arena-bands touring right now. Martin is equal parts skiddish, confident, twitchy and perfect. Just watch as he charges from the solo piano ending of "Lost" and onto the main stage to join the rest of the band as "Viva La Vida's" opening chords pulse in the background. Look at how he grabs the mic. Freeze that moment in your mind or pause it on YouTube. It's three minutes and 10 seconds in. Then play it forward as he skips toward the stage. This is self-actualization in real-time. This is greatness in motion. This is the sweetness that Michael Stipe told us would follow. Just enjoy.

"Lost" and "Viva La Vida" [Live on the Grammy's]

TV On The Radio :: "Dancing Choose" [Live on Letterman]

TV On The Radio's new record, Dear Science, is an absolute monster. And that's coming directly from the mouth of someone who both knows the band's career (bought their first EP), and didn't particularly like it (didn't particularly like ...Cookie Mountain).

Not the best song but maybe the most satisfying is "Dancing Choose." Ignore the easy wordplay and get to the fact that last Friday they played it on Letterman and sounded as big and bad as they do on recording. If you can't get up on lyrics like "now I ain't a mad man/but that's insanity" and "I guess you had. to. be. there," then I'm not sure you have a pulse. Watch the crowd go from, "who the hell is this band?" to "I'm losing my mind" in three-minutes flat.