By: Bob Longmore
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TV on the Radio - Photo by Steve Engelmeyer
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I had no idea that TV on the Radio were as popular as they are, but if the size of the crowd for their First Avenue show was any indication, I think the Brooklyn band is doing all right. After seeing them live, I can understand why. In trying to describe TV on the Radio’s music to a friend, I was at a loss for words. I kept saying things like gospel. Indie-rock. Chanting. Electronic. Weird. I realized that when you say all those things, it sounds unlistenable; but when you hear those disparate elements the way TVOTR puts them together, it is a truly unique sound that transcends the genres used to describe music.
Grizzly Bear started the evening with intricately constructed songs that seemed to hover just above the resting pulse of a human. The melodies employed by the three front men were so beautiful and flowing they seemed to come straight from a Brian Wilson bootleg.
Lacking the ferocity of an actual grizzly bear, their oftentimes dreamy pursuits, while well received by the crowd, did not really excite the capacity audience. It was new age music for hipsters, like John Tesh with a bad haircut and dirty jeans. I don’t want to sell the four-piece short though, I think they are the kind of band that probably would excite those familiar with their music, but for the ignorant masses they lacked immediate appeal.
Like a stream of herded cattle, a rush of patrons headed for the doors to smoke after Grizzly Bear, but returned in even greater numbers before the start of TV on the Radio. As the smokers returned and as Run Lola Run flashed off the movie screen draped in front of the stage, a whispering voice repeated, “Minneapolis. Minneapolis –apolis –apolis. Minneapolis.” The screen rose to reveal the whisperer, singer Tunde Adebimpe, who forced a soft whistle from his lips as the random noise from the band eventually morphed into “Dirtywhirl” from TVotR’s latest album, Return to CookieMountain.
I was leery that the band could pull off all the weird little intricacies that make their albums sound so full and complicated. The electronic flourishes, drum loops and layered vocals that I always attributed to production magic could have made for a stilted performance. TVotR was an exception though. The electronic component of the band, while present, was understated in their live show. Instead, a raw energy helped the band reshape the songs into frenetic soundscapes that, while true to their original form, in ways were completely different.
For example, on “Blues From Down Here,” the wall of guitar sound replaced the droning and punctuating bass that is heard on record. In turn, it kicked up the energy immensely and gave the band an unexpected organic feel.
All of the instrumentation was just a backdrop, however, to the signature element of TVotR, which were the absolutely breathtaking vocal performances of Adebimpe and guitarist Kyp Malone. It’s not just that they harmonize well; it’s that their harmonies soar from high to low and quiver everywhere in between. They used their voices as an instrument just as much as the guitars, bass or drums.
On “Province,” the two singers recreated David Bowie’s vocals brilliantly. I don’t know if it’s because I am hearing Bowie in my head when I hear that song or if it’s that they can’t help but sound the same, either way it was fantastic.
Guitar player David Sitek had a set of wind chimes draped of the headstock of his guitar, which he held up to the microphone during the choruses, which seemed like such a small part, but just further illustrates the bands imagination.
The pinnacle of energy occurred during the song “Wolf Like Me,” which is a frenzied song on the album and became doubly so live. Adebimpe jumped around the stage all night, working up a noticeable sheen of sweat, but his Michael Stipe-style rag doll dance seemed on the verge of breakdown during this song. A sea of heads from the front of the stage to the back of the bar, heretofore nodding ever so slightly, now bobbed up and down furiously. Added to this madness were Malone’s howling backup vocals, which finally devolved into the ending refrain, “We’re howling forever!”
The soulful, yet quirky “I Was A Lover” let the collective room catch their breath as Adebimpe and Malone showed off their dueling falsettos over an off-kilter break beat and another ringing distorted guitar tidal wave by Malone.
The band played for a little over an hour, but it felt like five minutes to me, and when they stepped off the stage a little after midnight, I couldn’t help thinking, “When can I see them again?”
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio
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