Zach Burger is a sophomore audio telecommunications major and writes ‘The Drop’ for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Zach at zaburger@bsu.edu.
TV on the Radio lead singer Tunde Adebimpe prefaced the band’s new album optimistically, regarding it as “1,000 percent ... the best thing we've ever done.”
The optimistic outlook was both a major theme and the catalyst for “Seeds,” the band’s newest release since bassist Gerard Smith's 2011 death.
Spanning genres from punk and acid-rock to indie and electronic, you'd think the album would have come out a bit more well-rounded and complete. “Seeds” jumped all over the map, yet something was missing.
Several songs on the album seemed to lack intent, namely “Could You,” “Winter” and “Lazerray,” all of which had a driving pulse that doesn't take you anywhere. For instance, the only highlight of “Could You” is the four-bar break in which the band settles down and vocalist Adebimpe takes on a calmer delivery, the musicians distancing themselves from the incessant sound.
Don't get me wrong: the punk-ish songs of the album are worth checking out for both avid TV fans and fans of punk in general, but don't expect them to be your favorites.
“Careful You” emulates Matt Bellamy-style vocals, something Muse fans can appreciate. Vibes of cruising down an interstellar highway definitely lends to the futuristic yet laid-back aspects of the album. This is one of the songs that beckons you into its groove, rather than pushing the listener uncomfortably into it as is the case with others.
As soon as “Happy Idiot” came on, I knew it was another of the strong points in the album. Combining the guitar- and vocal-play of David Bazan with the neo-punk sound of the Dead 60s makes for a substantial track. Harmonized vocals give the song some bulk that others are missing. It contains all the hype of the first three tracks, but actually seems to be saying something well-formulated this time around.
The driven sound continues after it with “Test Pilot,” perhaps the ballad of the CD. It starts with syncopated drums, building suspense until the track blossoms into a full-blown Alt-J/Matt Kearney vocal marriage with gritty, sustained guitar cut short. The ballad aspect makes it one of the more appreciable tracks, more so than the one that follows.
Overall, “Love Stained” felt sparse and incomplete; more of a rough track or demo than what you'd think of as a tidy conclusion to the first-half of the album.
The second-half of the album welcomes you with “Ride,” a majorly-piano opus. Highlights include a reversed guitar part which doubles some bells, an unorthodox addition to the song that started in contemporary piano ballad style. The optimism motif cuts through in certain lyrics of the song: “Think about the future/It's mine, I know I'm gonna ride.”
The eighth track, “Right Now,” hits close to home for me with the special guitar solo mixing a la Red Hot Chili Peppers' “By The Way.” Perhaps one of the grooviest songs on the album, the guitar sings through a telephone effect at points. A bit poppy, but still a solid track.
“Seeds” ends the CD at track 12; it was a bold move ending the album with the title track but capped it off well. Again, the optimistic lyricism comes out with “Rain comes down like it always does/This time I've got seeds on ground.” The synth drones lend to the grungy, gristly electronic style that permeates through the best songs on the album, complemented by higher synthesized string parts this time. They repeat, and the album fades.
Overall, the album has a very definite futuristic sound: not necessarily futuristic to 2014, but what it sounded like mid-'90s. The mixing tends to be stagnant, boring at times, as if in the case of a live recording and the venue's reverb was the only option when mixing down.
Furthermore, it's worth mentioning that much of the album seems to lack a mission statement: without the vocals to hold some concept together, the weaker instrumentals either try too hard driving one single point home, or lack a point to try and make.
As a TV on the Radio fan, it'd probably be worthwhile to check out “Seeds”; having never heard them before, this wouldn't be the album to turn you on.
Rating: 6.5/10
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