Touch & Go
2003
{7.8}
Reviewed by: Kareem Estefan
TV on the Radio does not belong with any other band in today’s New York music scene. Despite guest appearances from members of the Liars and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Young Liars has nothing in common with these bands’ releases. It is not “post-punk modernized”, “garage punk revitalized” or any of that undesirable critic speak. TV on the Radio has made something different, with more to boast than a few fashionable influences.
In fact, attempts to pinpoint the inspiration for Young Liars are nearly futile as a result of the incredible diversity and nonconformity of the group’s influences. The Talking Heads provide the simplest reference point, if only for their similar interposition of African music and soulful vocals with pop music, but that covers a mere fraction of TV on the Radio’s sound. There’s so much more – the shuffling electronics, the unpredictable flourishes, the unusual lyrics. And that’s only the describable; there’s the magnificent minimalism that emanates from Young Liars, the sweeping sense of atmosphere, the “Wow, that’s fucking beautiful!”
All this might be alienating upon first listen. Initially, Tunde Adebimpe’s vocals irritated me, and I found the music to be interesting, but not good. One by one, though, the tracks become less challenging and more captivating, beginning with the stellar “Staring at the Sun”. Both the most accessible and the most beautiful song on Young Liars, “Staring at the Sun” opens with serene crooning accompanied by intensifying electronics. The track is blissfully uneasy throughout its duration, as described in the chorus’ lyrics: “Your mouth is opened wide/ You’re trying hard to breathe.”
Next to unfold is the opener “Satellite”, an uncharacteristically upbeat track that is deceptively simple, but reveals more with each listen. “Young Liars” and Blind” take more time than either of the aforementioned two, mainly because of their increased length and slower tempo, but are just as rewarding in the end. And even bonus track “Mr. Grieves”, a cover of the Pixies song featuring doo-wop vocals with only upright bass as musical accompaniment, is ultimately pleasing, even if it’s one of the weaker tracks from Doolittle and an incredibly odd idea.
If nothing else, “Mr. Grieves” exemplifies TV on the Radio’s complete separation from anyone else’s musical ideas. Even if one doesn’t like the track, it is easy to appreciate the band’s total originality. Young Liars is a remarkable work, thoroughly different from not only its peers, but also its influences. Hopefully, TV on the Radio’s first full-length will be only more proof of the same.