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/
Ride
TV on the Radio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cut right through the ceiling
Ground below receding
Blink of an eye, higher than high
Father, sister, brothers
Others born of mothers
Every friend and lover
Now is the time, get on the ride
Up against the feeling
Caught up in the feeling
Now is the time, I'm gonna ride
Like a resolution
Crying in confusion
There's one sure solution
Leave it behind, it's time to ride
Pull into the station
With no hesitation
Well, congratulations
I'm by your side, it's time to ride
Say the word and I'll make it go
(Alright!) Where I used to be miserable
In a vision, a confession ain't visible
We are more than only human
Roll, roll, roll, like reflections roll
(Alright!) From my hands to your hands come and take a hold
This is the ride of your life
And it goes all day and all night
Every friend and lover
Soon we will discover
We turn into each other
Into the night, we're gonna ride
Think about the future
I know it's mine, I'm gonna ride
Everyone together
All at once, together
Everyone together
Look to the sky, it's time to ride
Like a resolution
Crying in confusion
There's one sure solution
Leave it behind, it's time to ride
Pull into the station
With no hesitation
Well, congratulations
I'm on your side, it's time to ride
Say the word and I'll make it go
(Alright!) Where I used to be miserable
In the mirror, a confession ain't visible
We are more than only human
Roll, roll, roll, like reflections roll
(Alright!) From my hands to your hands come and take a hold
This is the ride of your life
And it goes all day and all night
Say the word and I'll make it go
(Alright!) Where I used to be miserable
In the mirror, a reflection ain't visible
We are more than only human
Roll, roll, roll, like reflections roll
(Alright!) From my hands to your hands come and take a hold
This is the ride of your life
And it goes all day and all night
The theme of the song "Ride" by TV On The Radio is all about embracing the present moment and enjoying life's journey without any fear or doubts. The lyrics describe the feeling of being on a rollercoaster, where you’re caught up in the excitement and thrill of the ride. The opening lines “Caught up in the feeling, Cut right through the ceiling” portray the exhilaration and sensation of flying through the air. The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea of letting go and embracing the ride, stating “Now is the time, get on the ride… Now is the time, I’m gonna ride” to encourage listeners to enjoy every moment of their lives.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of unity and togetherness as the lyrics reference "Every friend and lover", "Father, sister, brothers", and "Others born of mothers", which suggests that this ride can be enjoyed by anyone, and everyone should take the opportunity to enjoy life with no regrets. The line “Say the word, and I’ll make it go where I used to be miserable” conveys the idea that anyone can change their life and shake off their past by making a conscious decision to embrace new experiences.
Overall, the song is a celebration of living in the moment and not being afraid to take risks. TV On The Radio wants to encourage listeners to let go of their fears and embrace life's journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Caught up in the feeling
Overwhelmed by the sensation of excitement and anticipation
Cut right through the ceiling
Breaking through the limit of what is possible
Ground below receding
Leaving behind the familiar and safe
Blink of an eye, higher than high
In an instant, reaching a level of elation beyond imagination
Father, sister, brothers
Referring to all family members, regardless of gender
Others born of mothers
Recognizing the universal presence of maternal relationships
Every friend and lover
Including all those who bring joy and intimacy into one's life
Now is the time, get on the ride
Seizing the opportunity to experience something extraordinary
Up against the feeling
In direct contact with the intense emotions
Like a resolution
Similar to a decision to change for the better
Crying in confusion
Expressing sorrow and uncertainty
There's one sure solution
Realizing that there is a definite answer to the problem
Leave it behind, it's time to ride
Abandoning the negativity and embracing the journey forward
Pull into the station
Arriving at a destination
With no hesitation
Without any doubting or indecision
Well, congratulations
Celebrating a milestone or achievement
I'm by your side, it's time to ride
Offering companionship and support during the adventure
Say the word and I'll make it go
Willing to take action to make things happen
(Alright!) Where I used to be miserable
Relieved to have left behind a state of unhappiness
In the vision, a confession ain't visible
Acknowledging that some emotions might be hidden but still present
We are more than only human
Recognizing the potential for greatness and transcendence
Roll, roll, roll, like reflections roll
Moving forward like the waves of a reflection
From my hands to your hands come and take a hold
Inviting others to join in the journey
This is the ride of your life
Acknowledging the magnitude of the experience
And it goes all day and all night
Emphasizing the continuous nature of the adventure
Soon we will discover
Anticipating further revelations and surprises
We turn into each other
Becoming closer and more intertwined as a group
Into the night, we're gonna ride
Embracing the unknown and the darkness that lies ahead
Think about the future
Considering the limitless possibilities that await
I know it's mine, I'm gonna ride
Believing in one's own agency and control over the journey
All at once, together
Collaborating and experiencing the adventure as a united group
Look to the sky, it's time to ride
Looking towards the horizon and embracing the next step of the journey
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe, David Andrew Sitek, Jaleel Bunton, David Kyp Joel Malone
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind