Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

I like some TVotR songs, but this album didn't have any new favorites. Impressive reach on "you could be love" though.

I don’t like the vocals on here, and a lot of the instrumentals aren’t very interesting to me, some songs (the wrong way, dreams) have at least halfway decent instrumentals on them, though. 2.5/5.

Already knew this one, I enjoy the band but besides a few songs (imo Staring at the Sun, Dreams and Bomb Yourself), the album is meh

Didn't like it like I hoped I would given some of their other songs. Maybe I just need to try again another day.

Having one album by this band on the list is contentious, but having two is unbelievably self-indulgent.

I can't stand this at all, mainly because of the horrific vocals which are among the worst I've ever heard. It's also an incredibly frustrating album. It clearly thinks it's too clever to be indie or garage rock but it's nowhere near unconventional enough to justify sitting within the realms of experimental rock. It's as though it's often still pandering to a template despite wanting to try and break out, with hints of krautrock-esque rhythmic repetition and noise rock abrasion all eventually falling flat and going nowhere of note.

I did appreciate some of the Lightning Bolt-esque distortion on the guitars at least despite no riffs standing out.

A little bit of a downer at some points. The male falsetto voice was a bit much at times. I liked some of it though.

dreadful.

Not my cup of tea.

Pretty interesting album overall. Weirdly feels like an album Dimery would leave off the list, and yet here we are. Feels a little too 00's alt rock for Dimery I feel.

Some of the drumming is giving me Massive Attack vibes, but with post-rockish instrumentations in some spots. Definitely a bit of a vibe.

The vocals aren't my favorite with the falsettos. Not really meshing well with the music where I would prefer those vocals more in R&B as opposed to alt rock.

Unfortunately, a lot of this album is a little too vibey for me, so what I thought was a 4*, is a 3*.

What a curious album. What an absolutely scintillating blend of genres. I was skeptical when I got this, but it’s such an interesting fucking album that I can’t deny its placement here, regardless of its quality. At any given moment, you could hear a sound influenced by funk, rock, soul, psychedelia, noise, drone, jazz, electronic, I could go on. Even though each song sounds noticeably different from the next - surely the obvious indie hook of “Staring At The Sun” is completely alien to the funky, noisy, repetitive dance-rock of “King Eternal,” but both function under a strange, artsy, indie umbrella that brings the whole album together. And unlike many other artists who experiment through genre combination, the album has a clear point outside of just sounding interesting and strange - it is a clear compound of genres that the band loves, and knows exactly how to display their affection of, while sounding so different than anything I’ve heard elsewhere. Every song is a revelation in some way, and each one is one way or another worth the time it takes out of your day to listen to it. A truly inspiring album.
9.8/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: EXTREME GENRE VERSATILITY AND MUSICAL QUALITY

Det siger mig ingenting. Jeg gider dog ikke rigtig høre a cappella

2.2

I liked the second and third from them at the time but never went back to this. Should have done.

I did not like this one.

Dark and almost drone sounding. I liked it more than Dear Science, but I think it has to grow more on me. For now, I can say I liked that it was more unusual in an interesting way.

A bit of a mixed-bag I think. I like how they craft mood with their use of instruments, including guitar, keys, drums and synths. I even quite like his high-pitched vocals. I was less a fan of the acapella bits, when it started to sound like it should be in some twee indie film, and other tracks that are just a bit awkward and drawn out.

I'm not sure it is a 5 but I loved this. Best new to me album I can remember hearing for a long time. Paul told me to check them out a year ago but I'm lazy. Sorry, Paul. 4.5

I like weird. 3/5.

It's never a good sign when the book is mentioned in the top paragraph of the Wikipedia.

When a band is primarily categorized as art rock, caution is always advised. TV on the Radio is no exception, and their album *Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes* is truly exhausting to listen to. This is due not only to the vocals - which I find rather unpleasant - but also to the overall repetitive arrangements and the very monotonous mood of the songs. Sure, in art rock, this is typically tied to the lyrics in some way, but in this case, the lyrics just aren’t good enough.
Not trash, but overall on the annoying side - that earns it two stars.

solid 4. this was a discovery for me. certainly lands in the intent of this collection. i may not return to it often, but i have a new appreciation for it