The group has released several EPs including their debut Young Liars (2003), and five studio albums: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004), Return to Cookie Mountain (2006), Dear Science (2008), Nine Types of Light (2011), and Seeds (2014).
For most of the band's existence, the core TV on the Radio lineup has been Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/bass/loops), Jaleel Bunton (drums/vocals/loops/guitars) and Gerard Smith (bass/keyboards) as official members.
The band's Bio from their website:
TV on the Radio gets to do anything. Like a small platoon whose pleasing impenetrability is their core, the band consistently confounds expectations while managing to balance respect from critics and peers alike. The result is TV on the Radio gets to do anything they want. This freedom is their engine.
“It’s about doing what feels right,” says singer Tunde Adebimpe. “I really feel like this band is something that is expansive and always changing and growing. If we wear our influences on our sleeve, it’s a pretty crowded sleeve.”
It’s no different with Seeds, the new and fifth proper studio album that Adebimpe has made along with Jaleel Bunton, Kyp Malone, and David Andrew Sitek (who also produced it). Having long outlasted that early 2000s fascination with all things Brooklyn to which the hip willfully succumbed, they continue to conquer music on their own terms. This album serves as another step in continuing to heed their reputation as “the most vital, current band in America” (Associated Press).
This go-round the songs are immediate and triumphant, textured with storytelling hooks and possibly the most honest music this band has ever composed. They’ve hit a point where they’re OK being straight-up beautiful without having to manipulate prettiness into whatever unforeseen shape.
Slate says Seeds has “TV on the Radio’s best songs in years. They are sounding sharper than ever.” And the band knows it. Adebimpe has already said this is the band’s best record. Not a boast, just an observation.
“I feel like I knew it before we were done,” he says immediately. “I was so excited by the songs while we were making them, I wanted to get more and more and more into it. The general feeling going into it was, 'We're still here. Our friendship with each other is so strong. Being in a band, at its best times, is like being... well, let’s say whenever things are going really well, we're like ‘cool, Voltron's back together.’“
The TV on the Radio guys are the type of people who go on hiatus and focus on music. They may take time between albums for their other endeavors, but they know when it’s right to come together – especially when the music comes as easily and passionately as it did with case Seeds. The band found themselves collected in David Sitek’s Los Angeles studio last year and recorded a couple of songs – “Mercy” and “Million Miles” and didn’t want to stop.
“Those were just songs that we wrote because we hadn't written songs together in a while,” says Sitek “They came out really fast and inspired us to do it again – and then ‘again’ turned into the record.”
Adebimpe and Sitek live in Los Angeles, Bunton and Malone reside in New York, but make no mistake: TV on the Radio is a quartet. To attempt to parse out exactly what each member does in the group would be to dismantle the fundamental essence of what makes TV on the Radio the monolithic anomaly they have been careful to cultivate and protect for more than a decade. They permeate beyond a wall of sound, and instead create a planetarium of music with every song. They embody many voices. Most of them can play just about anything. And sing too. They are equal partners in the creation of a type of noise that appeared seemingly out of nowhere over 10 years ago.
Throughout the years, TV on the Radio has been consistent in the standard they set for themselves. Earlier records, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes and Return To Cookie Mountain stole the hearts of fans and critics alike just the same, winning the Shortlist Music Prize and Spin's Album of the Year respectively. Their breakout release Dear Science was named best album of 2008 by Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Spin Magazine, The New York Times, The Onion AV Club, MTV, even Entertainment Weekly. An embarrassment of riches, really. Their last album, 2011's Nine Types of Light, was deemed "pure heaven" by the cherubs at Rolling Stone, and earned the band a Grammy® nomination. The band has also graced the stages of Saturday Night Live and The Colbert Report.
“The band is it’s own ‘self.’ It has to be that way,” Adebimpe says. “That's been the goal for a long time. Nobody really wants to be the focal point for the band; the band should be the focal point. Not even the band: the music. We can show up and take credit for it, but ultimately it's something that maybe we helped shape and facilitate coming into the world. But that’s all.”
They happily recruit likeminded associates to help prop up this invention of theirs in the studio and on stage. (Kelis, for instance, appears on “Lazzeray”). The band has recorded and performed with other artists who’ve conquered the music world on their own terms just as much as they have. Fellow mavericks like Trent Reznor, Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs fame, Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy, Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, Martin Perna of Antibalas, Katrina Ford of Celebration, and David chuffing Bowie have all romped in the sandbox with TV on the Radio.
“If you share a material thing, it dissipates,” Adebimpe says, recalling a fragment of philosophy he once heard, or might be improvising on the spot. “If you share a spiritual thing, it just increases. It becomes more and more and more. I'm already thinking about the next record.”
Seeds is an expression of everything this band has been through in the last three years and more. They’re influential, in their prime, they’re TV on the Radio, and they’ve proven themselves to be one of the most important bands of this generation. It clicks, as it always does, and TV on the Radio is brand new again, again.
“No matter what you go through individually and collectively, when you step away from each other, you're kind of like, "I know that if we get together we can fire this thing," says Adebimpe. “It's definitely in the spirit of the punk rock we all grew up with. If you win, you're still a punk. If you lose, you're still a punk, and honestly, it's not about anybody else.”
http://www.tvontheradio.com/
Halfway Home
TV on the Radio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into a rest stop for the dead
And did it all in gold and blue and grey
The efforts to allay your dread,
In spite of all you knew and said,
Were hard to see and harder still to say
Was sent to quell your sentiment
And keep your trembling sentinel hand at bay
And when a sudden silhouette
Escaped the top-side of your bed
I knew you'd never ever be the same
Is it not me?
Am I not folded by your touch?
The words you spoke
I know too much
It's over now
And not enough
Is it not me?
The damage you hold inside your blush?
The load you towed
You showed it up
It's over now
And I'm insane
Wild spirits winds from out your chest
Collides with world and wilderness
It needs a gentle hand to call it home
Now surfs the sun and scales the moon
And winds the waistband of her womb
All eyes ablaze the day you break your mold
Is it not me?
Am I not culled into your clutch?
The words you spoke
I know too much
We're closer now
And said enough
Is it not me?
Am I not rolled into your crush?
The road you choose
Unloads control
See it take me so
Go on throw this stone
Into this halfway home
The lyrics to TV on the Radio's song Halfway Home convey a sense of confusion and unease, describing a situation in which the singer's head has been turned into a "rest stop for the dead". The song suggests that someone has been trying to comfort the singer, perhaps by sending them some kind of object, but the efforts to allay their fears were ultimately unsuccessful. This is conveyed through the line, "A comfort plush all laced in lead was sent to quell your sentiment and keep your trembling sentinel hand at bay."
The song suggests that something has changed in the singer's life, perhaps after a sudden event or realization, and they are struggling to come to terms with it. This is conveyed through the line, "And when a sudden silhouette escaped the top-side of your bed / I knew you'd never ever be the same." The chorus of the song questions whether the singer is to blame for what has happened to them, asking "Is it not me?" and suggesting that they are struggling to understand the situation.
The final verse of the song speaks to the idea that the singer is in need of a "gentle hand" to guide them, and perhaps to help them find their way home. The lines "Now surfs the sun and scales the moon / And winds the waistband of her womb" suggest a sense of cosmic wonder, as if the singer is seeking to connect with something larger than themselves. Ultimately, the song suggests that the singer feels trapped in a "halfway home," unable to move forward or find a sense of peace.
Line by Line Meaning
The lazy way they turned your head
The people who influenced you did it carelessly
Into a rest stop for the dead
They wanted you to stop thinking and just accept things as they are
And did it all in gold and blue and grey
Their methods were flashy and enticing, but ultimately empty
The efforts to allay your dread,
They tried to make you feel less anxious
In spite of all you knew and said,
Even though you had your own thoughts and opinions
Were hard to see and harder still to say
It was difficult to recognize them and even harder to express them
A comfort plush all laced in lead
They gave you false comfort that ultimately weighed you down
Was sent to quell your sentiment
They tried to suppress your emotions
And keep your trembling sentinel hand at bay
They wanted to prevent you from taking action
And when a sudden silhouette
When something unexpected happened
Escaped the top-side of your bed
It came from a place you didn't expect
I knew you'd never ever be the same
I knew this experience would change you forever
Is it not me?
Am I not the one?
Am I not folded by your touch?
Do I not feel your influence?
The words you spoke
What you said
I know too much
I understand the truth behind your words
It's over now
That time has passed
And not enough
But it wasn't sufficient
The damage you hold inside your blush?
The pain you conceal?
The load you towed
The burden you carried
You showed it up
You exposed it
It's over now
It's finished
And I'm insane
And I've lost my mind
Wild spirits winds from out your chest
Your passionate thoughts and feelings
Collides with world and wilderness
They come into conflict with the outside world
It needs a gentle hand to call it home
They require someone kind and understanding to help them find their place
Now surfs the sun and scales the moon
You're experiencing the full range of emotions
And winds the waistband of her womb
You're feeling something deep and powerful
All eyes ablaze the day you break your mold
Everyone will be amazed when you become truly yourself
Am I not culled into your clutch?
Am I not under your influence?
We're closer now
We understand each other better
And said enough
And we've expressed what needed to be said
Am I not rolled into your crush?
Am I not swept up in your feelings?
The road you choose
The path you take
Unloads control
It releases your inhibitions
See it take me so
I feel it too
Go on throw this stone
Let's shake things up
Into this halfway home
Into this place of uncertainty
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN SMITH, LEE GORTON, MATT MCGEEVER, SAM MORRIS, SEAN KELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@erindalton68
The lazy way they turned your head
Into a rest stop for the dead
And did it all in gold and blue and grey
The efforts to allay your dread,
In spite of all you knew and said,
Were hard to see and harder still to say
A comfort plush all laced in lead
Was sent to quell your sentiment
And keep your trembling sentinel hand at bay
And when a sudden silhouette
Escaped the top-side of your bed
I knew you'd never ever be the same
Is it not me?
Am I not folded by your touch?
The words you spoke
I know too much
It's over now
And not enough
Is it not me?
The damage you hold inside your blush?
The load you towed
You showed it up
It's over now
And I'm insane
Wild spirits winds from out your chest
Collides with world and wilderness
It needs a gentle hand to call it home
Now surfs the sun and scales the moon
And winds the waistband of her womb
All eyes ablaze the day you break your mold
Is it not me?
Am I not culled into your clutch?
The words you spoke
I know too much
We're closer now
And said enough
Is it not me?
Am I not rolled into your crush?
The road you choose
Unloads control
See it take me so
Go on throw this stone
Into this halfway home
@CloneDaddy
Apparently, this track featured in some way in a television show, some years ago.
Although, why anyone would want to keep chiming in with the title of the aforementioned show, like some retarded children's toy, is beyond me.
Try substituting the word "skins" with "cabbage". Perhaps then, you'll realise how stupid you sound to the rest of us.
@avinashthamal
Yes! Lmao i never realised how stupid it actually sounds. “Oh my god Cabbage! I’ve seen this on the Tv show Skins!”
@videowifie
I actually heard it on the end credits for the first episode of a TV show called Bored To Death. which is like....poetic. fuck Skins, lameo tween bull ish.
@forkinmypasta23
Wolf Like Me used to be one of my favorite fucking songs by this band, they dont make music like they used to
@thegorillasnake
Personally, I don't care how people stumble upon music that I like. In fact, it warms my heart to see the comment sections of King Crimson songs chock full of Jojo fans. Try substituting your whole tirade with the phrase "I'm a gatekeeping crybaby," and you'll see how you sound to me.
@angelaononchan
@thegorillasnake I was going to say the same but you beat me to it. Thank you! TV on the Radio is pretty underrated so I'm glad more people found out about them
@callmeadoll
My freshman English teacher showed us this for a poetry lesson. Thanks for another great band Mr. W, five years later I'm still here
@Dex_Starrr
Harley, this is so wholesome! I hope you still revisit TVOTR when you need some time for good music. Thank you Mr. W for spreading the word about such a great band.
@danielp.6083
The world needs more poetry and more great English teachers. Language is the bond that holds everything together.
@vitaharvey5332
That's so cool! What a great teacher.