Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Art rock must be interesting, and this is not that. Weak vocals struggling to produce mediocre, repetitive melodies over music, that, while unusual, is utterly forgettable.

they made some terrible choices on this album. the only song i remotely liked was ironically titled "the wrong way". it would've earned them two stars if i hadnt accidentally listened to the version on spotify with the bonus track "you could be love". i usually try to keep my review to only the original album but this bonus track was so bad it soured my already negative perception of this album and i cant shake it.

Just another ex-1001 album!™
http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex

Quite enjoyed this, I warmed to the distorted drones, dark and dreamy.

I'd heard "Staring at the Sun" on an Adam Freeland mix, but the rest of this was new to me. They're just so unique and this album is timeless. It's the aggression of rock with the instrumentation of jazz and all these searing harmonies. A band I should have paid more attention to at the time.

Trying to be different for the sake of being different.

I wish I could hang this at a 3.5, but I’ll have to bump it down to a 3.

This is a weird album, in that I wasn’t too captivated in a lyrical or vocal sense (save for a few tracks), and it was sort of easy to lose track in the moment, but while I was listening to it, there was usually something oddly engaging in the soundscape and production that kept me hooked and attentive. I can’t really describe that paradox, but somehow that’s where I was with this – zoned out and attentive at the same time. Not necessarily hooked on vocals or lyrics, but hooked on hearing how it would all meld around the production and somehow find a melodic basis to work with.

The “problem” with the album then, which I’m sure is rather intentional and purposefully designed, is that it takes a long time to get to that melodic basis on a number of these already long tracks. When a track doesn’t find a melodic basis, it’s just sort of a flop, and this album has enough of those flops to feel disjointed and not as coherent as it could be. That’s not to say there are actively bad tracks (save for the dreadfully minimalistic “Bomb Yourself”, which truly goes nowhere in its 5 and a half minute runtime), but there is a lot of empty space here, and those empty spaces don’t quite do what I think the band wanted, which was a sort of eerie, artsy liminal feel. Instead, it just feels… kinda boring. When it picked up, it hooked me right back into it, but this album doesn’t do a great job of balancing its time between the “empty” and the “full” – if this were a roller coaster, it’d be too many upward hills and not enough drops.

However, with that roller coaster analogy, this album does have enough momentum to not feel like a total wash. I think when the soundscapes do get going, and the tempo and energy pick up, the band genuinely sounds good and all that buildup feels worth the release. There are some good tracks here, and ultimately, I did end up liking the album, just not as much as I think I could have. With a little more tweaking, I think this could’ve found a great balance on its execution, but in this state, it just feels a little undercooked. Someone else will get a bit more enjoyment out of this than I will, but for my tastes, it’s at a 3.5 that just doesn’t quite get up to a 4. Hence, the 3, but a 3 that’s worth giving a try at the very least.

Nothing special really.

I used to think that this album was the weakest in TV On The Radio's collection. However, after giving it a few listens over the past day, I realized that I hadn't given it the time it deserved.

From the opening track 'The Wrong Way,' through 'Staring At The Sun' to the magnificent 'Dreams', the album takes you on a textured dark journey through various sounds and genres, including acapella, industrial, indie, funk, progressive rock, and gospel, all anchored by deep, dark bass layers.

It's an album that really opened up a whole new world and broadened my musical horizons when I first heard it, and I'm only now able to truly appreciate it.

I remember listening to this in 2004 and thinking I should have liked it, but could never get into it. Relistening now confirmed that its not really my thing. It's not bad - there are several aspects of it I liked (Don't Love You was good). I didn't particularly like the falsetto. A low three.

I really liked dear science, not as keen on this one. Doesn’t need to be on the list given Dear Science is the superior album.

Did this Album change my life? No. Did I have a good time? Absolutely! Is this the bare minimum to get 4-5 stars in this list? For me sadly yes.

Kiinnostavalla tavalla erilainen. 4/5

A bleak and dark debut focusing almost entirely on the bottom half of your speakers.

It’s one of those rare albums on this list where I had to give it another listen, as I wasn’t quite ready for what hit me. Did I actually like? Was it simply too barren?

Turns out I really dig it!

Looking forward to revisiting Dear Science later on.

Not only am I familiar with TV on the Radio as a post-punk and art-rock outfit, but I've already heard "Staring at the Sun" from their first EP Young Liars that shows up again here on this debut album.

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes works effectively because the group took their dark and atonal sound and transformed it into a cohesive and melodically arranged set of tunes. It might take a bit to get going on the first minute of the opening track "The Wrong Way", but once the drums kick in, the band settles into their weird sonic pocket.

There's a comforting feeling from Tunde Adebimpe's laid-back vocal delivery, which made the acapella track "Ambulance" and the third verse of "Poppy" personal highlights. Pairing that with the droning guitars, Martin Perna's saxophone work and minimalist drums resulted in an eclectic and hypnotic style, culminating in the crescendoing closer "Wear You Out" with the added flutes.

This was an amazing debut from TV on the Radio. It's worth checking out if you're curious.

This is #day28 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge and... I'm pleasantly surprised again by an entry on this list. I've heard only the band's name, never listening to a single song. I mean never. So I'm happy the stars aligned, and not only am I discovering TV On The Radio from their debut, but listening to it now, 20 years after it came out. Now, this is intricately weird music. And I like weird! A couple of other names come to mind while listening to TVOTR: Algiers and The Veldt. All three share one common core. Soul. But, while the first band blends it with industrial, darkwave, and hip-hop, the second, with shoegaze, TV On the Radio, with post-punk, noise, and all sorts of experimental sonic paraphernalia imaginable. That was really interesting. This is a strong 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day29.

These guys are one of the big bands from that aughts era indie that really shaped my music tastes. I'll usually go with Cookie Mountain over this one but they're both bangers. This one definitely feels a bit more raw and dark.

Millennial hipster music but I kinda dig it. One of the two singers is a little whiney (particularly prominent right out of the gate on The Wrong Way), but overall there's a cool vibe through most of the songs. Main criticism is it suffers from the same thing as a lot of the genre - each song is a really cool riff or beat that they just extend into song length. Yeah, the riffs are cool and they build and sometimes ebb, but learn how to write a bridge or a chorus or something - just have the song go somewhere new once in a while! I liked the a capella approach in Ambulance, although it went a little long. Relatedly, the album has a demo of Staring at the Sun that's also a capella. I wonder if that's their writing approach and on Ambulance they just decided to keep it that way? Interesting approach if that's true. Favorite tracks: Staring at the Sun, Don't Love You, Wear You Out.

I’ve heard a few TOTR songs before but this was my first time listening to a full album. They do a lot of interesting stuff on this album. I don’t know how much I like it after just one listen but I did enjoy it. Going to give this a 3 for now but it might be a 4 in the future.

Fun, creative album.

Another unique sounding early aughts indie band. Could get a bit droney at times, but overall I liked it. Although it seemed more enjoyable with headphones than over a speaker.