My relationship with TV on the Radio is an unhappy one. I desperately hoped they would be another Unlikely Success Story, but they weren’t. They did not follow the Smashing Pumpkins model or the Arcade Fire model. (I initially hated Smashing Pumpkins’ albums, but grew to love the band when I saw them live. I thought I would hate Arcade Fire because I perceived them as a critically revered “homework” band, but I grew to love them more and more every time I listened.)
As it turned out, the model they actually did follow was Radiohead. This meant that they were a critically revered “homework” band that remained homework no matter how many times I listened. This makes sense, I suppose, considering TV’s first album is OK Calculator, a clear reference to Radiohead’s Ok Computer. Both groups have some songs I enjoy: "Karma Police" and “Fake Plastic Trees” for Radiohead; “Staring at the Sun” and “Wolf Like Me” for Tv on the Radio). Overall, though, I’d rather write a term paper.
Grade: B- Note: This grade could have been a lot lower, considering my distaste for most of the songs, but the lead singer was actually really good. I assumed that he would be a detached douche, like the New Rockers guy, but he brought energy and excitement to each of his songs. With more accessible material, he would make me want to see them again.
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