When I first got the TV On The Radio CD I felt kind of hazy and ambiguous about it, although I didn't hate anything on it. Sometimes it just seemed to miss the mark. But boy, it does hit some pretty high marks on occasion so it's not something I could easily dismiss. And the more I listened, the higher those hits got. The whole 4-song beginning segment is very strong, and the single "Staring at the Sun" sounds almost like a classic with the skittering rhythms and background drone and some of the best vocal interplay on the album. And then "Dreams" comes along and I'm totally sold. It seems to be the musical realization of those lines of neon lightning across the cover art, with the incessant beats and the center stage vocals bringing to life lines like, "All your dreams are over now / All your wings have fallen down". Really nice direction. And the next song continues the journey. At first I found the a capella doo wop interlude on "Ambulance" a bit on the annoying side, but recent listens after talking to someone who loves that song have left me feeling much more charitable. And the strong but uneven second half even teeters a little into Trail of Dead territory, albeit with more soulful vocals. Still hard to say how much I like this one, but I do like it way more that the first couple listens and I find myself wanting to hear it more and more. So, is there much consensus on this one around here? I'd guess probably not. Might be one of those love it or hate it type of sounds. Also might be headed into my top 10 this year. Still gotta do some thinking about that

Awesome album. Probably my No. 3 of the year.

Wow, you do like it a lot! Don't you find that it kind of peters out in the second half, though? I just can't shake the feel that it's about three good songs short of a great album. But the part that I like, I really like.

No not at all. It's a really solid album. Some of my favorites are actually at the end of the album. I never get bored of it.

It's probably my favorite album of the year. I think it's solid through and through and actually prefer some of the later songs as well.

one of my "bubble" albums for top 15/20. solid, in-its-own genre album.

I suspect that if we did a "grower" of the year poll, this would finish very high

I like it and admire it, but I sure don't listen to it very often.

I'm excited to hear all that comes next from TVOTR, though. I should've included them in that Ascending Bands thread, 'cuz I suspect they're only gonna get more interesting with each release.

definitely in my top 10, possibly top 5 of the year. and I'm with you Davey--I think the first 5 or 6 song stretch is so f'ing SOLID, then the last 3 are just kind of "ok" to me. IMO it's a bit of a drop off, I think a bit of rearrangement in the sequencing would have made the album even stronger, but it's a minor point. Great album.

Good record, Top 18 material.

But am I the only one who prefers the EP to Blood Thirsty...? Simply for 'Young Liars'? You're darn tootin'!

Funny you mention that because another occasional poster here, Ex Lion Tamer, has it on vinyl and we talked about the sequence since it is different and he said...

...the vinyl is sequenced differently from the CD. "Staring at the Sun" doesn't make it's vinyl appearance until side 3 (of 3); the ninth song. Plus, instead of the "multimedia track" of "Dreams" that closes the CD, vinyl listeners get a bonus song; "You Could be Love", which has a great soulful vocal over a minimalist bass and drum accompaniement, with occasional keyboard accenting, three piano chords provide a minimalist melody mid way through. The song snails along at a dirge-like pace, and ends with some weird vocal silliness; not something I'd normally like, but for whatever reason, and notwithstanding that goofy ending, I do like this. I like the vinyl sequence, as it makes me look forward to what I think, along with Dreams, is the hilight of the album, but now I'm thinking I'll make a CD-R copy sequenced as the CD is and see which is better....

When we talked about it I said that sequence would change it quite a bit for me because I really like that skronky ending on the opener flowing into the Beach Boys beginning on "Staring At The Sun", and then "Dreams" seems to follow that perfectly, especially when it amps up into Joy Division territory after the opening chorus. But maybe that would spice up the second half for me.

For me, it wasn't a grower at all. I liked it immediately. Its probably gonna be my favorite album of the year. But don't quote me on that. At the halfway point, it was my favorite.

I really don't think there is a clunker on the whole disc. It starts off strong, takes a small break with "Ambulance" (which I think is freaking awesome) and then finishes just as strong as it starts.

Yeah, I don't think we have near enough discussions like this around here. We should go through all the top albums of the year and try to get some in depth discussions going about their pros and cons. I think it definitely helps my appreciation of an album to get a wider perspective on the music.

huh. cool stuff. thanks for posting what ELT said about the vinyl sequencing. interesting stuff.

yeah, this is a nice thread.

Pro: I like it.

Con: I don't like it as much as the EP.

That's as in-depth as I have time for right now.

i loved it from the moment i first heard it. it's looking like it will end up at #3 of 2004 for me.

I don't like it. And I did keep listening to it and it didn't get better.

Haven't heard it, but it probably needs twang.

Missed you buddy, you really shouldn't be such a stranger. Or did it go, you really shouldn't be so strange? Funny how just changing a couple letters around....

I think twang and doo wop might cause an explosion. Or at the very least, some noxious fumes

Quoted by Davey; I'm swelling up here. 8)

Haven't gotten around to making a CD-R yet with the CD-sequence...so I don't have much to add. But I do like this album, don't quite love it though, and it probably isn't making my year-end top 5. I see you're coming over to the dark side on that Ambulance track.