Head to Head: TV on the Radio.............Mercer & Pickart

Return to Cookie Mountain

Ian Mercer David Pickart

They have cool hair. They’re from Brooklyn. With these 2 traits, TVotR could’ve been my favorite band. The elements were all in place except for just one thing: the music. It’s sad that the first 30 seconds of RTCM are, by far, my favorite out of the album’s entire duration. The syncopated bass drum and the distorted, just-off-kilter-enough sample had me sitting up in my chair… and then the chorus hit. The lead singer sounds like a Reggie Watts knockoff singing through a shitty microphone, but without any of the charm or personality. The bass lines are boring, and the melodies are aimless. The worst offense is the mediocre mix, which brings out the most boring parts (and obscures the details) of each track. On top of all that, the project is easily 20 minutes too long. They could’ve taken out the entire last 6 minutes as well as the tracks “Wolf Like Me” and “Blues From Down Here.” All of these parts are repetitive to the point that I feel morally obligated to skip to the next track.

Don’t get me wrong: I think repetition, when used correctly, is a very useful musical tool. The problem is that this album is suffering from an identity crisis: it wants to be pop, but its lyrics are too obscured, ugly, and forgettable; its samples too unpleasant and monotonous. Usually I wouldn’t care about excessive repetition or the fact that it’s impossible to sing along; I only care here because Cookie Mountain seems to have been built to be a pop album!

My Verdict: Definitely try it out for yourself, but RTCM just ain’t for me. Every once in awhile, a nice and shoegazy guitar part appears or a pleasant melody shines through, but the poor mix, lame samples, and useless repetition leave me unsatisfied. Don’t be fooled by its whimsical name; Return to Cookie Mountain is a pretty dark album. I don’t mean dark in the conventional sense of chugging guitar riffs or screaming vocals, but rather in the sense of atmospheric gloom that builds over the course of countless moody, psychedelic jams. It’s slow-moving, repetitive, and abstract. It’s also a ton of fun to listen to. RTCM’s strength lies primarily in its genre-defying creativity and unpredictability. On an album where distorted synth and washed-out guitar are as likely to appear as twee vocal harmonies and whistling, it’s hard not to remain intrigued about what direction the music will take next. This experimentation doesn’t come at the cost of cohesion, either - each instrumental addition fits nicely into TVotR’s brooding aesthetic. The aforementioned “twee vocal harmonies” and “brooding aesthetic” might give you pause, but somehow it works. TVotR’s sound isn’t for everyone - it’s intentionally rough around the edges and can be downright grating at times. Several songs on RTCM have an air of controlled chaos, mostly due to a raucous percussion section that barrels along and threatens to run off the rails at any moment. The lead singer’s voice is often weak and uneven, but the band transforms it via multitracking into an amorphous chorus of mumbling voices, an effect that’s somehow both comforting and disconcerting. The lyrics, though often unintelligible, are equally mysterious. As a whole, the band does a good job of balancing accessibility and inscrutability, creating satisfying tunes while encouraging repeated listens.

My Verdict: TVotR’s aim isn’t to deliver deft melodies or clever lyrics, but rather to create memorable textures and grooves that engage and challenge the listener. In this regard, RTCM succeeds admirably.