Formed in New York City back in the summer of 2001 by vocalist Tunde
Adebimpe and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Sitek, Brooklyn-based
TV On The Radio have been on a steady upward trajectory since their
Young Liars EP dropped in 2003 to massive critical acclaim. Subsequent
releases New Health Rock, Desperate Youth Bloodthirsty Babes and Return
To Cookie Mountain continued the trend, with each new release garnering
unbridled respect amongst critics and audiences alike. Unashamedly
unique, their sound has been described as a combination of numerous
genres, including free jazz, indie, doo-wop, post punk and electronica
amongst others, but despite the fervent genre slinging, TV On The Radio
have managed to defy the pigeon-holers, remaining entirely in a realm
of their own. Having evolved their incredible sound, along with the
band’s line-up has meant they’ve become one of the most respected and
sonically original bands of 2008. So on an afternoon in September, a
few weeks prior to the release of TV On The Radio’s stellar fourth LP
Dear Science, Lifelounge caught up with bassist Gerard Smith to chat
about the new album and all things TVOTR.
DK: Hey Gerard, how’s the tour going at the moment?
G: It’s going pretty well actually. We’re just getting back into the
swing of things. We wrapped up the record, took a little bit of time
off and then a few of the guys went over to Europe to do a press tour
over there, so we’ve had a pretty busy time at it right now.
DK: I just finished listening to Dear Science and it seems to have a
more hopeful, slightly less apocalyptic denseness than Desperate Youths
and Cookie Mountain, so I was wondering what brought around that change
in mood?
G: I think it’s more about the textural treatment, in terms of the
production, as well as the sorts of arrangements that are being dealt
with on this record. But for instance, I don’t necessarily see songs
like ‘Method’ or ‘Dreams’ being apocalyptic songs. It’s not apocalyptic
so much as it’s what people tend to consider gloomy, but that doesn’t
necessarily mean that it is so.
DK: I guess if you look at some of the songs on an individual basis,
they all have their own mood or ambience about them, but as albums, the
previous two LPs seemed to have a much darker overall feel to them and
this one seems to have more of a optimistic sense to it.
G: Yeah, I think that has much more to do with the production values
and the treatment of the instrumentation on the record, but not
necessarily the lyrical content. If you look into the lyrical content,
I think there’s a lot more to be seen or rendered from the lyrics than
an apocalyptic view, maybe more a contemplative mood.
DK: Some really early reviews of the album stated they felt Dear
Science was an obvious first attempt for you guys to make a pop record.
How do you feel about that? Was that something that you were actually
trying to achieve?
G: I don’t think that there was any particular goal in mind. I suppose
if anything, the length of the songs are considerably shorter than they
have been in the past. In terms of aiming for a pop record in
particular though, I don’t think that was the case. There’s definitely
been a lot of trimming the fat in working on this record but I feel
like they’re still a little too weird to be full-on pop songs.
DK: On that note, how important is it for you guys to expand your
audience? Is that something that you think about when you’re putting an
album together?
G: I don’t think that there’s a plan or an idea to do that. I suppose
if that were the instance, we probably would not be working with Dave
as the producer. He’s definitely more drawn to working on projects with
people that he’s known for a while, and who’s work he’s appreciated.
For instance he’s been working with Celebration and more recently with
this band Telepathe. I don’t imagine that this [TV On The Radio] is the
sort of band that makes that sort of decision. We’re not a younger band
for instance, who might be looking for some sort of new sound. I know
sometimes bands tend to look to working with a certain producer, or
even – God forbid – a writing team, but I think those sorts of acts,
those sorts of performers, make more conscious decisions towards that.
DK: Definitely. It’s weird, because it feels like now more than ever,
music is in a period where it has become a commodity and musical tastes
have almost become a fashion accessory. So how do you think that TV On
The Radio actually fits into that sort of musical landscape?
G: Well, for instance, to this day I still have never been an owner of
an iPod, but I’m recognising the obvious huge role that that piece of
technology has played in the way that people listen to music. Growing
up as a kid I listened to records and I spent the time having to look
at where I was going to drop the needle, flipping over records and
having to manually hook up speakers, cutting speaker wire and things
like that. Now you just plug things in and you’re ready to go. With the
rapidity and the speed at which that’s able to happen, I feel that if
anything, maybe there’s a possibility that music isn’t contemplated in
terms of an entire record. A lot of people more often just have
playlists. On occasion I’ll look at someone’s iPod and I’ll be like,
‘Oh, Prince and the Revolution’ but it’ll only be a couple of songs
from Prince and the Revolution and not necessarily an entire record as
I would hope to be able to hear it.
If I’m going to listen to Abbey Road for instance, I’d like to hear it
from start to finish, but it’s not so much the case now. Although, I
don’t know whether things have really changed that much because when I
was a kid growing up, I’d hear things through friends on mixtapes and I
don’t really see much of a difference between making a mixtape and
downloading music or using an iPod. So I guess I’m a complete hypocrite.
DK: No, I totally understand what you mean. There are certain tracks
that you guys have produced such as ‘Dry Drunk Emperor’ scattered
throughout your albums that have an obvious political slant. So I was
wondering, as a band, what your outlook is on Western society and how
much politics and the state of the world inform your music?
G: I don’t know if it’s necessarily a band outlook, I mean everyone’s
obviously going to have their own individual views. I know there’s a
fair share of us Westerners who are not happy with the way things are
panning out in the West. I don’t think it’s necessarily indicative of
this band, I think it’s just indicative of this generation and of the
current situation we’re in.
DK: Your audience has been growing fairly rapidly with each new release
that you put out. So do you feel any sort of responsibility or a
greater responsibility to communicate something to your audience,
whether it be political or otherwise?
G: This is something I’ve always appreciated about this band as an
entity, and the lyrics that are being written for the tracks. There’s
quite a bit going on lyrically. There a lot of things being discussed,
and I would hope that whoever is listening is trying to pay attention
to those things that are being said. It’s obviously one of the more
important facets of this band as a whole. I mean, I would hope that
with any great art form that there are a number of ideas being
translated. For instance if I’m watching Night of the Living Dead or
Alien, I’m getting more than just a horror film out of that. They’re
also talking about other issues while entertaining at the same time.
DK: Yeah, and I have noticed you guys generally try to keep the messages fairly subtle in comparison to other artists.
G: I think it’s a better way of being able to infiltrate your audience,
instead of trying to beat someone over the head with an idea. Informing
more, delving a little deeper into the subjects that you’re trying to
discuss. It’d be one thing to just come out and say, “Oh this sucks,
this sucks, this sucks” but it’s another thing altogether to try and
suggest ideas that critique and inspire one to delve a little deeper
into their surroundings, and the world, and themselves.