TV on the Radio has bestowed upon us a fourth studio album that lives up to its predecessors; which legions of enlightened music fans would agree, are not only musical masterpieces, but masterpieces of intellect and metaphysics. Nine Types of Light seems to be TVOTR’s most elaborate masterpiece thus far, as it is made complete by an accompanying hour-long movie (which I watched a couple times through before purchasing the CD, so I could behold the intended essence of the album). The Brooklyn-based band takes us on a cinematic tour of their new album via a collection of music videos which can be viewed on YouTube: http://youtu.be/8B5GP0AiQMc . Each song is essentially a mini-movie, one even being a zombie flick (for the song “Forgotten”). The album, out in stores and iTunes as of 04/12/2011, comes in a standard 10-track version and a deluxe 13-track version (for only $2 more), complete with remixes of key song, “Will Do”.
Nine Types of Light has a notable romantic element to it, and seems lacking in the underlying melancholy found in their past albums. Though the hook in the track titled “You” states “...you’re the only one I ever loved…”, one should explore lead singer, Tunde Adebimpe’s intentions before dismissing it as a sappy love song that is out of TVOTR’s distressed character. He explains: ”It's a terrible thing to say to someone because it's most likely not true.” (There’s that TV on the Radio sadness!) To all the TV on the Radio fans who are disappointed by the band’s renaissance of positivity: Lighten up and give it a chance! Life is good, and the band is embracing this. That being said, TV on the Radio (from what I observe in articles and blog posts) continues to embrace the goodness of life and the universe, despite the very recent loss of their dear bandmate, bassist Gerard Smith, who passed away eight days after album release on 04/20/2011 after a battle with lung cancer.
I highly recommend-- at the very least-- checking out the video for “Will Do." http://youtu.be/dXLpXu9T7j0 . The song itself made me dizzy with a yearning for love; and coupled with the beautiful video, a velvety restlessness was conjured up in my heart. Certain tracks/videos like “Caffeinated Consciousness” were catchy, psychedelic funk rock. Other tracks were slower and more electronically infused, like “New Cannonball Blues.” A favorite of mine on the movie is “Repetition,” which is shown in the form of a fast-paced, ridiculous cartoon world (which I realized in watching, was actually pretty close to reality). Just for the record, as stated by the band, there is no cryptic meaning to the title, and no specific nine types of light being referred to. Nine Types of Light was recorded outside of their home territory of Brooklyn, in Los Angeles-- a step the band had never taken before. Perhaps that’s one thing that gave this most recent album a sunnier disposition. Neither here nor there, the outcome is ultimately a fine-tuned musical and artistic success.
~Meow~
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