When you consider how narrow in scope and imagination most pop songs are, then the music of TV On The Radio is like staring at the entire world through a wide-angle lens. The fact that most of the tracks off Return To Cookie Mountain mix static, soul, art-rock, new-wave, a-cappella clap-alongs and mind-warping sampling into a cohesive whole is breath-taking enough on its own, but the fact that all of it passes the whistle test with ease is something only just short of miraculous. This is music that gives me goosebumps.
Really, the Brooklyn-based band could've picked anything as a lead-off single, but 'Wolf Like Me' sounds like a dance-floor favourite already. This is a rare beast indeed - it isn't soul train, but it sounds like a non-metaphorical equivalent. Tinkly, rattling effects lead into a chugging drumbeat, building up a head of steam; then, the harsh, echoing synth-lines descend. In the middle of this maelstrom, Tunde Adebimpe's beautiful, gospel-tinged voice sails out, and by then you're hooked. If you have hips, you're moving them if you have any taste at all. Strike that - you're moving if you have any soul...
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9Nick Cowen's Score