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You're supposed to say, 'I noticed some new textural changes, and everything seemed bright and happier.' It's because our lives are SO much better. -Gerard Smith on the new album |
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 Kyp Malone - TVOTR by Vann |
"I hope so. People are gonna try what people are gonna try. For instance, the Hadron Collider. That's weird shit, and once again, I have no clue about anything; I barely know how to turn my computer on, so you'll have to excuse me," says Smith, puncturing the myth that TVOTR is the ultimate 21st century band full of digital wizards. "Really, people think that? I'm still waiting for my flying car [laughs]. I will say they're lovely people. And you'll always hear me saying 'they' as if I'm not one of them because I always need to maintain this level of separation or division from them as a whole. I was the last to join, the last introduced into the band. I've known Dave and Tunde since before they started the band and have always been impressed with what they've done. They've been working on things for as long as I've known them, and I enjoy talking to Dave because he has ideas on music that reflect what I picked up from my little study of art history and criticism. Early on, he really fucking blew my mind talking about directions he hopes music goes in and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah [trails off chuckling]."
It's actually a wonder TVOTR can offer up some specter of their music live given the organic studio complexity, never more so than on Dear Science, which offers some easier points of entry like "Crying," but even that toe-tapper still waxes about how "late breaking disasters" are lost amongst "news of the trite." What they've fully figured out this round is how to be charming and playful without losing an inch of their thickness or brains. "Dancing Choose" may be the finest Devo descendent of all-time but the lyrical flow is pure Rakim roaring, "He's a WHAT? He's a WHAT?" It's enough to make you pogo outta your boxers, drowning along with the butterflies in their gasoline splatter. It's fun and a lil' sick and altogether irresistible. Their well-tuned internal metronome wisely steers things into the beautiful, string dappled stutter Of "Stork & Owl" next, then out into the Chic-esque mutant disco of "Golden Age," and thus it continues through peaks and low country, upper atmosphere and Hades depths for the remainder. Dear Science, like Return To Cookie Mountain (2006), is a lively adventure, and one that rewards each turn through its pages.
 TV on the Radio by Neil Gavin |
"I'm always so scared of that, even though I've made my living off being a live performer for x amount of years," offers Smith on the process of live translation. "Beyond the band, I played in the subway in New York and was able to survive on that for a while. But I'm the last person to go to a live show; I'm the worst in the band, really. I love listening to records. I grew up on Long Island listening to records, and I was a kind of bridge & tunnel kid, so I had to come out to the city and it was such a terrifying experience coming to shows. The amount of madness and weirdness you had to go through just to get to CBGB's or Maxwell's was just terrifying."
"I'm probably one of the worst bass players known to man. No, I really am fucking terrible," deadpans Smith. "I do a lot of sampling. I like pops and clicks and beeps and bops. A lot of my samples made it onto 'DLZ,' which has that cracking sound and hollow, papery floor tom. That was all my design. Though one thing I'm mad at Dave about is he did this really sexy guitar line and he cut it out. He tries to play like he's not [a great guitarist] because Jaleel is such a shredder. And I'm super noodle-y, more sort of bluegrass-y, sort of country, jazzy. I guess Dave started off as a drummer, then a bass player and just developed through lots of bands."
If anything, Dear Science is a refinement of what they've been doing, which is kind of the way evolutionary beings roll, dropping off the tail in order to accentuate the thumb or an upright stride.
"I played it for this one friend of mine and he said it seemed like a natural progression. I think it's funny that people bring this up because it always amazed me that there were songs like 'Wear You Out' and 'Dreams' [both from 2004's Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes] that were totally out of leftfield for me. I never imagined these guys making these songs even after having known them and slept on their floors since Young Liars [TVOTR's 2003 debut EP]," says Smith, pointing out the unpredictability at their creative core. "I really don't know what this band will do. Ever."
TV on the Radio kick off a massive world tour October 10 in Philly. Tour dates available here...
TV On The Radio - "Dancing Choose"
TV On The Radio - "Golden Age" - Later Live with Jools Holland
JamBase | NYC
Go See Live Music!
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