Artist: TV On The Radio
Album: Seeds
Label: Harvest
Genre: Indie, Synthpop

I approached TV On The Radio’s Seeds as a newcomer to the stratosphere of sound the band creates. Being my first proper experience with the band that has been so heavily recommended to me, Seeds was a needed escape.

Seeds is a collection of fun, electronic indie-pop that doesn’t quit from beginning to end. Starting off with the surreal introduction of “Quartz,” TV On The Radio bleed fun through soundwaves emitted by their instruments. The opening of “Careful You” caught me immediately, and remained as one of my favorites as my experience with the album continued. Sounds pulse in and out, all founded by the same beat presented in the beginning, as vocals swirl to and from “care for you” and “careful you” with ease.

The first four tracks of Seeds tend to blend together a bit, but they are surely exceptionally executed. Things get a little groovier with “Test Pilot,” featuring a slower atmosphere, and more dynamic vocal arrangements. Followed by the similar “Love Stained,” Seeds appears to be working in chunks. That is, tracks are grouped together (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but I am wondering if more track listing dynamics would have fared better for the release.

What can be firmly said, is that of the quality of the production of the album. Everything produced sounds lush and full and gives the listener a massive experience upon use. The electronics are as beefy and heavy as the bass and guitars, and the vocals work beautifully within all these layers presented by the production.

It is hard to investigate the album further without noting the heavy loss of the band’s bassist, Gerard Smith, to cancer in 2011. Because of this, Seeds finds itself a simpler outing than some of the band’s other material, but maybe that was just what the band needed. It is possible Seeds is less about pushing the envelope, but maybe simply opening it, and having fun with what has been left inside.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Drew Caruso — (Follow him on Twitter)

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Drew Caruso

Drew Caruso is a Bostonian who, when not writing about music and film, spends his time getting lost in New England, reading books, talking about science whether people want to listen or not, and more. To see the thoughts of a scientist by day and a writer by night, follow him on Twitter.

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