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The Williamsbuzz is in a frenzied swarm around TV on the Radio, as is the debate of whether it’s well-deserved publicity or excessive hype. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle. The Brooklyn band’s two recordings- last year’s debut EP Young Liars and the brand new Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes- contain some of the most beautifully eerie art-pop of the 21st century. Songs like “Satellite,” “Staring at the Sun” and “Young Liars” combine the sonically diverse elements of droning distortion, tribal rhythms and shimmering streetcorner soul to create music that’s at once yearning, comforting and paranoid. Though the second half of Desperate Youth sinks from the weight of too much dirge and not enough tune, the band’s sound is definitely one to keep an ear on. Unfortunately, TV on the Radio haven’t yet figured out how to translate the fascinating productions of their recorded material to their live performances. Kyp Malone’s child-like, high-pitched harmonies are a sweet counterpoint to lead singer Tunde Adebimpe’s powerfully projected melodies (complete with college a cappella hand-flailing), but during their Desperate Youth record release party at Southpaw, their two voices couldn’t hold a candle to the rich layers of harmony on their albums. And too often, the vocals were buried by the muddy live instrumentation (member/producer David Andrew Sitek’s blurry-handed power-chording and Jaleel Bunton’s drumwork), which paled in comparison to their usual hypnotic white noise and crisp drum loops. I still plan on attending one of the band’s next gigs (April 8 & 9 @ Mercury Lounge) with hopes that they’ll find out how to re-produce their studio magic, but even if they can’t, TV on the Radio’s next album will undoubtedly remain on my “eagerly awaited” list.
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