Touch & Go
Young Liars, released this past summer, was an intoxicating shot
of dark, precise sound; at once both deeply passionate and eerily
chilly, the product of a gospel choral that had lost its way and
preferred to creep out unsuspecting subway riders rather than bask in
any holy warmth. While that EP showcased a few densely packed tracks,
their new LP finds that intensity strung across a larger canvas,
changing the shape and color into something that asks for more patience
and observation. "The Wrong Way" is a charmer, thudding along with
soupy bass and percussion as baritone and alto saxophones bleat and
support the vocal harmonies of the three members, which sound like a
snapping ragtime chorus, full bodied and drawling. Though the musical
foundation is simple and loopy, it serves as a perfect background for
the expressive vocals that rise and fall with bursts of energy, begging
for the pews to raise their hands and chime in. "Ambulance" eschews any
kind of pretense that Tunde Adebimpe's vocals are not the core of this
band's power, dropping the fuzzy noise collages for an acapella
excursion. Adebimpe's breathy triplets on the song's chorus of "I /
will be / your / ac / ci / dent / if you / will be / my am / bu /
lance," caress every syllable, giving them each proper consideration
before spilling them out in his smooth baritone. Unfortunately, the
slower tracks, like "Don't Love You," lack the amorphous, ephemeral
quality that made "Blind" from their past EP such a spooky, alluring
listen. Where before a lurch was arresting, visceral, here they are
clumsy and cautious. "Poppy" suffers from a relatively banal guitar
riff that comprises the bulk of the track. While this is hardly enough
to invalidate any interest in
Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes,
it is indicative that the group finds themselves searching for the next
step, the next mode for their sound. "Bomb Yourself" finds those
brilliant harmonies sprawling across a bass heavy, dub-inflected bed,
capturing a deep groove. The raw quality of TV on the Radio's energy,
and their recklessly experimental tendencies make listening to every
nook and cranny of their tinkered sound interesting, and hints at even
more dramatic pieces in the future.
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