TV On The Radio’s “Dear Science,” Makes Me Pee My Pants.
My entire life I’ve been heavily into music. At the age of 4 I enrolled into the obligatory call-to-childhood by taking group organ lessons. These lessons displeased me, but it started me down the path of a life rich in musical tapestry. I took private piano lessons for 14 years following the group organ lessons. I took 10 years of private saxophone lessons. 2 years of private vocal lessons. I performed in several musicals, started my formal post-secondary education as a drama major, and have purchased my record collection twice thanks to a rather expensive break-in of my car when I was 20. I’ve often told people that, given the unfortunate choice, I’d rather be blind than deaf. I wouldn’t even hesitate. I can bear not golfing or driving again, never judging my own body again, and never having to see another Internet shock site again, but never hear music again? Never hear the rhythms of nature, the humming of a street light, or another TV On The Radio album again? I’d rather die.
I will admit, however, that I am no life time achievement award when it comes to music appreciation. At the two years leading up to the turn of the millenium, when boy bands were at their peak and rock music was debatably at its lowest point in probably 40 years (yes, even lower than the disco era), I gave up on music. I stopped listening. I stopped buying. I stopped reading and searching. I lost the will to seek. And then something interesting happened. An 18 year old kid from the US named Sean Parker, over the course of a few weeks, decided to make the international music industry as we know it completely, 100% obsolete. A kid, who didn’t know a thing about programming, taught himself C++ and wrote the infamous Napster – a product that allowed me to start finding music again.
However, while Napster was great, and while it introduced me to a lot of great bands, it wasn’t delivering anything completely earth shattering in the context of new bands. Napster allowed me to find the bands that I knew about, but it was no substitution for finding new bands I’d never, ever heard of before (well, this isn’t entirely true, I found a lot of new bands, but the crap-to-awesome ratio was way outta whack – the process was not very efficient). Only reading and fingering through various zines and papers could do that. But it was Napster that got me interested enough to dedicate time out of my week to finger the various zines and papers.
Young Liars EP
Come 2003. While fingering various zines and papers, I come across a review for an EP by a band called TV On The Radio. I sample them, and in 30 seconds flat I’m completely hooked. TOTR’s Young Liars EP is still, to this day, one of the best EP’s I’ve ever heard. For being only 5 songs it’s rich, deep, complex, compelling. It’s 22 minutes (!) of highly compelling and engaging music. It starts off with deep bass, harmonious vocals, and a shock of “Holy Crap! This is Awesome!”. It finishes with a 4 minute a cappella version of The Pixies’ Mr. Grieves. It was my favourite thing in my collection in 2003.
The interesting part of all this is that TV On The Radio didn’t have any albums out at the time. This EP was their first and only published work. When was their full length LP going to be released? Unfortunately for those that heard the EP (over, and over, and over, and over again), it would be at least a year until TOTR finally released their debut LP. For a year there was speculation, anxiety, hopefulness that they wouldn’t blunder and show the world that Young Liars was just a fluke.
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
The 2004 release of “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes” was successful in proving that Young Liars was not a fluke, but 100% intentional. The album announces itself again with deep driving bass, distorted and muffled drum machines, and a “HERE WE ARE!” horn section. The lead off track also cements TOTR’s schtick of complex vocal arrangements. It quickly becomes clear to the listener that Young Liars was just a sample of what the band could do. Layers, layers, and more layers.
Not only does TOTR prove their creative and musical spirits on this album, they also show they’re masters of atmosphere. TOTR have no problem creating scenery in their songs. They’ll make you feel the song, not just hear it. From anxiety to rambunctiousness, loneliness to love, the album has a knack for making you feel a whole lot of your past.
Return to Cookie Mountain
In 2006, and in typical deep bass fashion, TOTR impaled the masses with their second LP, Return to Cookie Mountain. With enormous critical success the album built up from TOTR’s foundation of deep base and harmonious melodies by incorporating a lot more white noise and a lot more looping. But each song is almost in its own genre. Hours is like a bunch of Swirling Dirbies listening to neo-psych rock (at least that’s the image it conjures for me). Province is like the childhood song from your youth, with a blazing hot son setting over the lake while you, 3 years old, run around naked on the beach. Wolfs Like Me bring TOTR back to solid, driving fashion after the minature tour de senses. The album continues from there, exploring different sounds and rocking your ass.
Dear Science,
And like the precise clockwork you would expect from an expert watchsmith, in 2008 TOTR releases their third album, Dear Science, a surprisingly upbeat and, dare I say, happy album. Of course the album starts with a rich, deep bass, followed by some of the happiest (if not simple) scatting I’ve ever heard. We’re talking teenager scatting. The album explore’s hiphop (in the most frantic use of the word), soul, funk, and syphonic rock (without all the cliche symphony). This is, of course, all on top of the foundation built on the previous albums.
Remember the first time you got drunk, and you were like “Oh my Gosh, this is weird!”? And then remember the second time you got drunk you were too excited so you over did it and said “Oh my Gosh, this is terrible!”? And then the third time your were more refined and had a better idea on how to pace yourself? That’s TOTR’s third album. It’s definitely the most mature of their three and a half albums. The refined quality runs the risk of it having the least amount of replay value of their collection, but it’s still beautiful, atmospheric, and heavily textured. It’s still amazing. It’s still TV On The Radio, and it’s still going to make you sit up and take notice.
Harold and Maude
One of my favourite movies of all time is a little diddy called Harold and Maude. Bud Cort stars in this 1971 cult classic as Harold, the 18 yeard old son of a heartless wealthy woman (where the father is we do not know). Harold is completely obsessed with death and the darker sides of life. He stages his own suicide over a dozen times, drives a hearse, and attends funerals for fun. The dude is, to say the least, troubled, bored, and fairly lonely.
Enter Maude, the 79 year old holocaust survivor turned playful peaceful protestor played by Ruth Gordon. Maude enjoys birds, trees, and posing nude for ice sculptures. Maude is Harold’s girlfriend.
Upon hearing the premise of the movie for the first time most people shudder in disgust. People get caught up in the moot details of age difference and are automatically revolted by the thought of the 2 main characters getting it on. As such, most of the people whom I’ve told should watch the movie, don’t. It’s too bad because the movie has great messages about the difference between life and living, how we can all make changes for the better, and that sometimes it takes a bit of effort in order for us to find ourselves.
Harold & Maude is a great story, with great acting, with great costume design and a great way to re-experience the 70′s (or experience for the first time if you missed that entire decade). But the icing on the cake is the unbelievable soundtrack, written and performed entirely by Cat Stevens…which was finally released just a couple months ago.
That’s right – 36 years after the film was released to mixed reviews the official soundtrack was finally released. And only 2,500 copies. And only on vinyl. It’s an absolutely incredible package; a 12″ multi-colored record that’s the actual soundtrack, a 40 page full colour booklet on the making of the film, a hot pink 7″, 2 rather large posters, and a copy of Cat Stevens’ (aka Yusuf Islam) lyrics for a couple of the tracks. 40$ + 36 years = 1 great package. And it sounds great!
That all being said – why 36 years? Since this movie came out the director Hal Ashby and star Ruth Gordon both passed away; Cat Stevens turned to Islam and retitled himself Yusuf, called for the Death of John Ralston Saul, only to re-emerge 30 years later under the monicer familiar Cat Stevens brand and put out a new album. 7 years passed after the release of the movie before I was even born. I’m now 29.
For whatever the reason it matter not. The package is excellent, the movie still rocks my boat, and Cat Stevens still pens a great tune. 1 out of 1 Baldwins agree – The Harold and Maude Official Soundtrack is fantastic.
