by Jimby Sisto
photo by JUCO
TV on the Radio took indie rock and elevated it to a dizzyingly theatrical, wild place. It’s crazy to think that their first release, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Radiohead entitled OK Calculator (recorded on a four-track recorder) was only three years away from their major label debut. That album, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, boldly screamed confidence and sheer creative spirit. Always a band to both have a sense of humor and a free-wheeling jazz element, TVOTR dug deeper as the years went on with songs like “DMZ”, “I Was a Lover” and “Caffeinated Consciousness” showcasing their obsession with war, love, and an all-but-certain apocalypse. With singer Tunde Adebimpe carrying one of the most uniquely genuine voices in all of music, it’s no wonder they once got celebrity fan David Bowie to lend vocals for them. Come and dance to “No Future Shock” and feel the weight of the world as well as the voices beating against it.
