On Stage: TV On The Radio

Every time TV On The Radio release an album, I like it that much that it ends up in my year list. This builds up in anticipation when I get to see them live and somehow the few times I saw them play festivals it didn't really live up to my expectations. Seeing them in a club show would probably be better and after cancelling their show earlier this year, it finally was time to see them in Paradiso.

TV On The Radio at Paradiso Amsterdam, August 24 2015



I tried not to hold my hopes up too high, since this may just be one of those bands that is brilliant on record but simply cannot get that same level across when live on stage. But I wouldn't have to worry for long. After taking the stage they are off to a ferocious start with vicious versions of 'Young Liars', 'Lazerray' and 'Golden Age'.



The band is very tight and the wonderful layered sound is coming across in a lovely way. The long bearded Kyp Malone is sometimes jumping up and down while playing and Tunde Adebimpe is all over the place when he's not working his loop station. Somehow this band never really got their big break and I wonder why tonight. The venue is far from sold out, but the people that are here, are definitely enjoying it. When the songs are up tempo, Adebimpe fires up the crowd who can only dance harder. He's addressing us regularly adding plenty of audience interaction and making it a lively show.



Of course the more mellow songs are not suitable to go mental but need a listening ear. The band knows how to balance this, making sure it doesn't lose the crowd's attention, which nearly happens after the great start of the set. But tonight all is well for TV On The Radio and not even a failing mic can bring them down. I'm really glad in the end I get to see the band that I love so much on the records and tonight they prove why they keep popping up on my year lists.





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Setlist:
01. Young Liars
02. Lazerray
03. Golden Age
04. Happy Idiot
05. Could You
06. Careful You
07. Winter
08. Wolf Like Me
09. Blues From Down Here
10. Trouble
11. Forgotten
12. DLZ
Encore
13. Ride
14. Dancing Choose
15. Staring at the Sun


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Top 10 Albums 2014

To be fair, I don't really care too much about year lists. They don't mean a lot, even though many music magazines aggregate them from many personal lists of people in the industry. But they aren't saying that much, especially when it comes to albums that are not in the top 3. At most the top 3 are albums that are generally considered favourable this year. But people tend to like those lists and ask about them. Since I'm a writer for FestivalInfo and ROAR E-Zine I also have to send in my top ten for their list. So without too many more words, here's mine. Have a great 2015! See you on the other side.

1. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
Play in Spotify

2. Shaking Godspeed - Welcome Back Wolf
Play in Spotify

3. Temples - Sun Structures
Play in Spotify

4. Spoon - They Want My Soul
Play in Spotify

5. Future Islands - Singles
Play in Spotify

6. Ty Segall - Manipulator

7. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
Play in Spotify

8. Beck - Morning Phase
Play in Spotify

9. Fratsen - Caspar

10. TV On The Radio - Seeds
Play in Spotify


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Spinning: TV On The Radio - Seeds

Slowly Brooklyn Collective TV On The Radio have been transforming their sound during the course of their existence. From the slightly rough and experimental sound in the beginning into a more accessible sound you can hear on their last album Nine Types Of Light. It resulted in a larger fan base although they lost some down the road because of this transformation. But it keeps me looking forward to new music from the band, so it's good news they have released their fifth record Seeds.

TV On The Radio - Seeds

On this album they are trying to balance their sound even more, patiently crafting their songs. You can hear this in songs like 'Test Pilot' and 'Ride' where they carefully build them up, layer by layer. Effectively they know how to create the right atmosphere for the tracks. It results in another colourful and detailed record which once again shows their talent and skill. They didn't get rid of the experiment completely, but it's evened out more. Some may regard this as less adventurous, but that's not entirely fair. The band just uses it less frequently, making those moments stronger, like they do with other elements. Patience is a virtue my friend and yes, this is the concept of "less is more" which totally works for them.

It doesn't mean they have completely lost some of the roughness of the earlier songs, although they do pace themselves a lot more. But a song like 'Lazerray' is a more old style straightforward track, that has plenty of impact between the other ones. Making use of lots of electronic drums and effects, many songs get a bit of mechanic feel but at the same time sound swinging. Together with the soulful vocals it sometimes results in a nice contrast and somewhat awkward atmosphere, like in title track 'Seeds', but in a good way.

Seeds shows TV On The Radio are still trying to find the right balance in their sound and music. They keep shaving their compositions until they eventually will make it perfect. It's not quite their yet, but they have taken another step. It doesn't make this record necessarily better or worse than previous ones, but it's an obvious step into the right direction. I'm confident they will find the perfect balance some day. Until then great and interesting albums like this one will keep us more than busy.



Listen to 'Seeds' on Spotify.



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Top 10 Albums 2011

Normally I don't do top 10 lists myself. But since I'm a writer for ROAR E-Zine, a Dutch music website, and they asked all their writers to come up with one I might as well post it over here as well.


The hard thing about year lists is, that they seem final, but in reality are just snapshots. So here's my 2011 snapshot:



01. The Black Keys - El Camino

And then The Black Keys release a great album just before the closing of the year that ends up at the top of my list. They seem to have found the perfect formula for great rock tunes: songs that are great compositions, keep on going and that I want to hear over and over again.



02. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
Just like the Arctic Monkeys who took revenge with Suck It And See for the, in my opinion, unjustified moderate response on predecessor Humbug. When they can keep up this level I expect a true classic in one or two albums.



03. White Denim - "D"

White Denim also keeps on delivering quality. "D" turned into a true piece of art.



04. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Girls had their definite breakthrough with their Father, Son, Holy Ghost that is full of nice indie songs.



05. dEUS - Keep You Close

And 2011 is without a doubt dEUS' year. Keep You Close left a big impression and meantime they are doing a true victory tour around clubs and festivals.



06. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Beasty Boys came back hard this year with a great album, that can measure up to their greatest work.



07. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

With a smart promotional campaign no one could ignore Foo Fighters' Wasting Light. And it's just as I like it: like a hit in the crotch and a kick in the ass.



08. TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light

TV On The Radio is a different cup of tea; a well thought through album with intelligent songs.



09. Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

Just like Radiohead and their The King Of Limbs. Sometimes they are too much for me, but this album is nicely balanced.



10. Happy Camper - Happy Camper

And there were great Dutch releases, that just missed my list. Happy Camper did make it with its beautiful atmospheric songs and the wonderful varied vocals.

So there you have it. 2011 was a good year with great music and some great gigs as well. I can't wait for 2012! Happy New Year!
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Rock Werchter 2011 Day 1: Warm Welcome

When the summer has finally kicked in it is time for our favourite (and only) Belgian festival. The summer kind of overdid it last year but promised to be gentle on us this time. We continued our successful festival traveling streak and without any traffic jams we were sipping beer by noon. Opening up some festival camping sites a day earlier proved to be highly effective. Without running into any lines we walk onto the festival site for the first time, buy our food and drink tickets and get ready for the first band.

Rock Werchter 2011 Day 1, June 30 2011



Warpaint (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
First up are the all girls band Warpaint. They are much talked about and their album The Fool got good reviews. They play dreamy psychedelic music with lovely harmonies. Sometimes drummer Stella Mozgawa provides a solid groove to accompany the songs. But it doesn't really work today and the songs are sometimes stretched out too much causing them to turn weary in the end. A quiet start of the festival though.
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TV On The Radio (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Next up are one of the bands I was really looking forward to. I'm really into their mix of soul and rock music. Maybe my expectations were too high since they cannot convince me. The sound is pretty bad and especially one mic sounds awful. Some songs aren't really right to play on a festival and they don't connect to the crowd. Even a great song like 'Will Do' sounds a bit bleak.
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The Hives (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
If you want a festival crowd to have a good time you can always call these crazy Swedes. The look like they are so full of themselves and especially front man Howlin' Pelle Almqvist is acting like the over confident arrogant rock star. But if you've seen them before you know this is all an act. Almqvist is full of energy and is firing up the crowd while the first rain is falling down. And it's always great jumping around with songs like 'Hate To Say I Told You So' and 'Tick Tick Boom'. The festival is really getting loose now.

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Queens of the Stone Age (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Time to roughen it up some more! We even make sure we're in the pit in front of the stage to watch our favourite band from the desert. And they don't disappoint. Josh Homme is in a good mood and is enjoying his bottle of vodka. The band is tight and loud, the way we like them best. They deliver a solid greatest hits set for the highlight of the day.

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Linkin Park (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
The headliner of today was high on the wish list of many Belgian fans. But a big visual spectacle is the best you can say about it. It's just very loud and can hardly be described as playing music. One for the fans I guess.
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Beady Eye (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
Fortunately Oasis minus Noel is playing a bit later on. But it's clear Liam can't do without his brother although he will never admit it. Beady Eye sounds more like pure rock but the songs are missing an edge as is this performance. It's all routine with Liam's familiar poses. But they are hardly trying to entertain the crowd.
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Hurts (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
I heard good things about this band and wanted to see if for myself. Their dark electronic and eighties inspired music leans a bit towards a darker Ultravox. It comes close to the edge of cheesy with singer Theo Hutchcraft handing out white roses while he's singing with a tormented face. Obviously this is all fake but it is a convincing performance. The rain outside is adding to the dark atmosphere.
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The Chemical Brothers (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Time to cheer up again. We're not sad anyway, we're just getting drunk. So let's dance the night away with The Chemical Brothers. Of course we've seen them a thousand times before and there aren't any surprises. But it gets you moving. You don't get to see much of the boys themselves and it's hard to tell what they are really doing anyway. Some of their old songs still rock hard though and they get a bonus point for the great light show.
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Rock Werchter 2011 Day 2 Review >
Rock Werchter 2011 Day 3 Review >
Rock Werchter 2011 Day 4 Review >
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