Having wowed David Bowie into a collaboration, Brooklyn’s TV On The Radio – an idiosyncratic mesh of Spiritualized, The Beach Boys, Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine – have seen their profile spiral skyward.
Since the release of their eclectic Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes debut, the trio have put pen to paper on a US deal with label giants Interscope, thus paving the way for mainstream indie crossover a la Arcade Fire. On the evidence of the fabulously innovative Return to Cookie Mountain, such a transition seems more than merited.
Colourful, ambitious, spirited and spellbinding, the tendency once again is to meld Kid A meanderings with Pet Sounds’ ambition. This time however, the canvass is wider, fuelling a more expansive sound, in particular the warm, spatial Bowie-assisted textures of ‘Province’, the wig-out of ‘Let The Devil In’ and the majestic mania of ‘Wolf Like Me’. Indeed if Spector or Brian Wilson had emerged in today’s musical climate, Return To Cookie Mountain is close to the record they’d have made. Awesome.