TV on the Radio

貓王以降，白人以先天的社經優勢，主導了搖滾樂。 殊不知半世紀前，搖滾乃由黑人音樂發展而來。近年隨著跨國族的青年自覺，情勢漸獲改善，饒舌與嘻哈不再是黑人樂手的當然出路，搞團，同樣有聲有色，英倫樂團Bloc Party便是絕佳案例。美國呢？布魯克林五人組TV On The Radio，是最無法忽視的一支隊伍。不似Bloc Party只有主唱一員代表，TV On The Radio除了吉他手，其余四人都是律動感十足的黑人弟兄。一經合體，不僅爆發力驚人，論開創性與革命精神，同儕也只能苦苦追趕。 　　打從2004年首張專輯《Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes》，至大獲全勝的第二擊《Return To Cookie Mountain》，TV On The Radio將黑人細胞中內建的酷勁與性感發揮得淋漓盡致。曲風前衛卻可親，展現實驗手法的同時仍保有適切的流行感。他們不擺弄都會的疏離姿態，反而將稠密的情緒注入音樂，任誰聽了都會熱血沸騰。即便已立下如此高的標準，第三張大碟《Dear Science》依舊讓人嘆為觀止。火力全開的超凡開場曲〈Halfway Home〉，或以貝斯破音貫穿頭尾的〈Dancing Choose〉；歡愉復古的〈Golden Age〉，或恢弘溫暖的〈Family Tree〉。緊湊的跳舞節拍遇上深邃的吉他音墻，熱鬧的小喇叭遇上動人的弦樂組，《Dear Science》呈現出的壯麗奇景，讓人分秒都不愿意將視線移開。 　　播放這張不可思議作品的同時，美國或許也將誕生第一位黑人總統。我們正在聆聽一個樂團最卓越的時刻，目睹一段幾乎不可能發生的歷史，怎能教人不興奮？ 　　強勢入主2008各大年終榜！媒體一致好評推薦！ The Brooklyn-based group TV on the Radio mixes post-punk, electronic, and other atmoshperic elements in such a creative way that it only makes sense that its core duo, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Andrew Sitek, are both visual artists as well as musicians. Adebimpe is a graduate of NYU's film school and specializes in stop-motion animation, which his Brothers Quay-like video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs single "Pin" demonstrates amply. He is also a painter, as is Sitek, who also produced the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Machine EP and their full-length Fever to Tell. The duo met when Sitek moved into the building where Adebimpe had a loft; each of them had been recording music on his own, but realized their sounds would work well together. Sitek's brother Jason began playing drums and other instruments with the pair during their recording sessions, which resulted in a self-titled, 24-track CD released by the Brooklyn Milk imprint. Jason Sitek left the band for a short time due to other musical commitments but returned to the band when they recorded their Touch and Go debut, the Young Liars EP. After the EP was completed, TV on the Radio added guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone to their fold. Young Liars, which also features the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Brian Chase and Nick Zinner, was released in summer 2003 to critical acclaim, coinciding with their gigs opening for the Fall. Their first full-length release, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes arrived in spring 2004. The band remained busy for the rest of the year, embarking on their own tours as well as dates with the Faint and the Pixies. That fall, they released the New Health Rock EP and won the 2004 Shortlist Prize. In 2005, the band kept busy with touring and returned to Sitek's Stay Gold studio to work on their second album. They also made an MP3 criticizing President George W. Bush, "Dry Drunk Emperor," available on their website. TV on the Radio signed with 4AD for European distribution of their albums and moved to Interscope in the U.S. In summer 2006 they resurfaced with Return to Cookie Mountain, a more polished but still searching collection of songs that featured David Bowie on backing vocals.