Performer Notes

Lyricists: Tunde Adebimpe; Kyp Malone.
TV on the Radio: Kyp Malone (vocals, guitar, guitars, synthesizer, bass instrument); Tunde Adebimpe (vocals); Jaleel Bunton (guitar, guitars, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, synthesizer, bass instrument, drums, programming); David Andrew Sitek (guitar, guitars, synthesizer, bass instrument, programming, sampler); Gerard A. Smith (Fender Rhodes piano, organ, synthesizer, bass instrument, sampler).
Personnel: Katrina Ford (vocals, background vocals); Eleanore Everdell (vocals); Claudia Chopek, Janis Shen (violin); Lara Hicks (viola); Eleanor Norton (cello); Martin Perna (flute); Matana Roberts (clarinet, alto saxophone); Stuart Bogie (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Colin Stetson (saxophone, baritone saxophone); Eric Biondo (trumpet); Aaron J. Johnson, Aaron Johnson (trombone); Leah Paul (horns); Dave Bergander (drums); Yoshi Takamasa, Yoshi Takemasa (congas, claves, shaker, percussion, bells).
Audio Mixers: David Andrew Sitek; Matty Green.
Recording information: Stay Gold Studio, Brooklyn, NY (2008).
Photographer: Roe Etheridege.
Arrangers: David Andrew Sitek; Kyp Malone; Claudia Chopek; Stuart Bogie; Perry Serpa; Janis Shen; Jaleel Bunton.
Somewhere between highbrow art rock and the more familiar, accessible sounds of indie and post-punk, TV On the Radio had already positioned themselves, over the course of their first two albums, as one of the better bands of the early 21st century. DEAR SCIENCE, the group's third disc, is a quantum leap forward as it refines the swirling experimentalism of its predecessor, RETURN TO COOKIE MOUNTAIN, and applies it to a batch of songs that are hook-filled and inspired.
DEAR SCIENCE is distinguished overall by more danceable rhythms, as on the funky parable "Golden Age" and the driving "Red Dress" (which features members of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra). Prince and Fela Kuti may be exerting more of an influence, but TVOTR still haven't relinquished their devotion to Brian Eno and Joy Division: dark corners and layered ambient dimensions give these songs an endless, labyrinthine feel. A stunning achievement, DEAR SCIENCE is one of the year's best albums, and is also a blueprint for the future of rock music.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.69) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "DEAR SCIENCE is a brilliant balancing act between pop aspiration and music-geek aesthetics. More tuneful than its predecessor, the album is packed with New Wave hooks and funky dance beats....One damn fine record."

Rolling Stone (p.87) - Ranked #1 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "The year's finest rock record was also the one that sounded the most like America in 2008, with infernal visions of war and economic desperation."

Spin (p.101) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[B]assist Gerard Smith and drummer Jaleel Bunton flesh out Adebimpe's and Malone's ruminations with relentlessly inventive arrangements that make even familiar sentiments seem fresh."

Spin (p.56) - Ranked #1 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "[F]ull of wondrous pop experiments..."

Entertainment Weekly (p.93) - "[I]t's the band's most fully realized and most consistently enjoyable record to date. Two immediate standouts, the manic, glitchy rocker 'Dancing Choose' and the string-laden 'Family Tree,' showcase the band's gift for creating a self-contained world in every song..." -- Grade: A-

CMJ - "The group's signature blend of deeply-layered loops, throbbing bass and guitars that sound like inter-dimensional vacuum cleaners exploding remains intact."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Adebimpe's contributions range from the fiery avant-funk of 'Dancing Choose' to gorgeous ballad 'Family Tree'. Malone excels himself with the brassy pop of 'Lover's Day'..."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.72) - Ranked #20 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "[A] wryly optimistic set of future-soul and indie-funk statements..."

Blender (Magazine) (p.78) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Crying' is a bubbly disco jam about race riots and tanks in the streets, and 'Red Dress' deploys a spring-loaded new-wave riff to herald the coming of the Antichrist....Best of all is 'Family Tree,' a tender, string-laden love song, easily the most beautiful thing they've ever done."

Paste (magazine) (p.56) - "[I]t's the up-tempo bangers and funky grooves on DEAR SCIENCE that truly resonate....[N]o one really sings or writes lyrics like Adebimpe..."

Clash (magazine) (p.69) - Ranked #7 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "[They have] merged together their disparate but perfectly picked influences into their most complete piece of work to date."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It remains true to the New Yorkers' bold template of dense, often cluttered sprawls of synthetic waves and twitchy scattershot beats."