| Words by Dimitri Kalagas |
Dec 23, 2008 at 08:08 |
Formed in New York City back in the summer of 2001 by vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Sitek, Brooklyn-based TV On The Radio have been on a steady upward trajectory since their Young Liars EP dropped in 2003 to massive critical acclaim. Subsequent releases New Health Rock, Desperate Youth Bloodthirsty Babes and Return To Cookie Mountain continued the trend, with each new release garnering unbridled respect amongst critics and audiences alike. Unashamedly unique, their sound has been described as a combination of numerous genres, including free jazz, indie, doo-wop, post punk and electronica amongst others, but despite the fervent genre slinging, TV On The Radio have managed to defy the pigeon-holers, remaining entirely in a realm of their own. Having evolved their incredible sound, along with the band’s line-up has meant they’ve become one of the most respected and sonically original bands of 2008. So on an afternoon in September, a few weeks prior to the release of TV On The Radio’s stellar fourth LP Dear Science, Lifelounge caught up with bassist Gerard Smith to chat about the new album and all things TVOTR.
DK: Hey Gerard, how’s the tour going at the moment?
G: It’s going pretty well actually. We’re just getting back into the swing of things. We wrapped up the record, took a little bit of time off and then a few of the guys went over to Europe to do a press tour over there, so we’ve had a pretty busy time at it right now.
DK: I just finished listening to Dear Science and it seems to have a more hopeful, slightly less apocalyptic denseness than Desperate Youths and Cookie Mountain, so I was wondering what brought around that change in mood?
G: I think it’s more about the textural treatment, in terms of the production, as well as the sorts of arrangements that are being dealt with on this record. But for instance, I don’t necessarily see songs like ‘Method’ or ‘Dreams’ being apocalyptic songs. It’s not apocalyptic so much as it’s what people tend to consider gloomy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is so.
DK: I guess if you look at some of the songs on an individual basis, they all have their own mood or ambience about them, but as albums, the previous two LPs seemed to have a much darker overall feel to them and this one seems to have more of a optimistic sense to it.
G: Yeah, I think that has much more to do with the production values and the treatment of the instrumentation on the record, but not necessarily the lyrical content. If you look into the lyrical content, I think there’s a lot more to be seen or rendered from the lyrics than an apocalyptic view, maybe more a contemplative mood.
DK: Some really early reviews of the album stated they felt Dear Science was an obvious first attempt for you guys to make a pop record. How do you feel about that? Was that something that you were actually trying to achieve?
G: I don’t think that there was any particular goal in mind. I suppose if anything, the length of the songs are considerably shorter than they have been in the past. In terms of aiming for a pop record in particular though, I don’t think that was the case. There’s definitely been a lot of trimming the fat in working on this record but I feel like they’re still a little too weird to be full-on pop songs.
DK: On that note, how important is it for you guys to expand your audience? Is that something that you think about when you’re putting an album together?
G: I don’t think that there’s a plan or an idea to do that. I suppose if that were the instance, we probably would not be working with Dave as the producer. He’s definitely more drawn to working on projects with people that he’s known for a while, and who’s work he’s appreciated. For instance he’s been working with Celebration and more recently with this band Telepathe. I don’t imagine that this [TV On The Radio] is the sort of band that makes that sort of decision. We’re not a younger band for instance, who might be looking for some sort of new sound. I know sometimes bands tend to look to working with a certain producer, or even – God forbid – a writing team, but I think those sorts of acts, those sorts of performers, make more conscious decisions towards that.
DK: Definitely. It’s weird, because it feels like now more than ever, music is in a period where it has become a commodity and musical tastes have almost become a fashion accessory. So how do you think that TV On The Radio actually fits into that sort of musical landscape?
G: Well, for instance, to this day I still have never been an owner of an iPod, but I’m recognising the obvious huge role that that piece of technology has played in the way that people listen to music. Growing up as a kid I listened to records and I spent the time having to look at where I was going to drop the needle, flipping over records and having to manually hook up speakers, cutting speaker wire and things like that. Now you just plug things in and you’re ready to go. With the rapidity and the speed at which that’s able to happen, I feel that if anything, maybe there’s a possibility that music isn’t contemplated in terms of an entire record. A lot of people more often just have playlists. On occasion I’ll look at someone’s iPod and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, Prince and the Revolution’ but it’ll only be a couple of songs from Prince and the Revolution and not necessarily an entire record as I would hope to be able to hear it.
If I’m going to listen to Abbey Road for instance, I’d like to hear it from start to finish, but it’s not so much the case now. Although, I don’t know whether things have really changed that much because when I was a kid growing up, I’d hear things through friends on mixtapes and I don’t really see much of a difference between making a mixtape and downloading music or using an iPod. So I guess I’m a complete hypocrite.
DK: No, I totally understand what you mean. There are certain tracks that you guys have produced such as ‘Dry Drunk Emperor’ scattered throughout your albums that have an obvious political slant. So I was wondering, as a band, what your outlook is on Western society and how much politics and the state of the world inform your music?
G: I don’t know if it’s necessarily a band outlook, I mean everyone’s obviously going to have their own individual views. I know there’s a fair share of us Westerners who are not happy with the way things are panning out in the West. I don’t think it’s necessarily indicative of this band, I think it’s just indicative of this generation and of the current situation we’re in.
DK: Your audience has been growing fairly rapidly with each new release that you put out. So do you feel any sort of responsibility or a greater responsibility to communicate something to your audience, whether it be political or otherwise?
G: This is something I’ve always appreciated about this band as an entity, and the lyrics that are being written for the tracks. There’s quite a bit going on lyrically. There a lot of things being discussed, and I would hope that whoever is listening is trying to pay attention to those things that are being said. It’s obviously one of the more important facets of this band as a whole. I mean, I would hope that with any great art form that there are a number of ideas being translated. For instance if I’m watching Night of the Living Dead or Alien, I’m getting more than just a horror film out of that. They’re also talking about other issues while entertaining at the same time.
DK: Yeah, and I have noticed you guys generally try to keep the messages fairly subtle in comparison to other artists.
G: I think it’s a better way of being able to infiltrate your audience, instead of trying to beat someone over the head with an idea. Informing more, delving a little deeper into the subjects that you’re trying to discuss. It’d be one thing to just come out and say, “Oh this sucks, this sucks, this sucks” but it’s another thing altogether to try and suggest ideas that critique and inspire one to delve a little deeper into their surroundings, and the world, and themselves.
Posted By: Lifelounge staff
Tags: Music, Tours
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