Dear Science

I loved their early albums. At first I wasn’t thrilled on this one but it grew on me.

Only had time for one listen. I liked it and will be back for more

Wow, iPod/MP3 nostalgia.

I’d been meaning to give TV on the Radio a proper listen for years, and I’m so glad I finally did. Dear Science is a fantastic album—full of energy, invention, and genuinely brilliant tunes. There’s so much going on here: layers of sound, huge variety, and constant shifts in mood and texture that make it a really exciting listen.

The album opens strongly with three excellent tracks. Halfway Home immediately grabbed me; I couldn’t shake how much the intro reminded me of The Velvet Underground’s All Tomorrow’s Parties, before it swelled into something completely its own. That’s one of the album’s real strengths—these songs build so well, evolving as they go and keeping you hooked. By the time you reach Crying, it’s a perfect, powerful way to close things out.

I loved this album, and I’ll definitely be returning to it.

Favourite track: Crying and Halfway Home—though honestly, I could have picked several more.
Least favourite track: None. Everything landed.
Album artwork: Simple but effective.

Not a big TVotR fan, but I did find many of the arrangements on here to be very interesting. Some of these songs are quite good, but also a handful of clunkers.

I have a feeling this one had some depth to it and probably needs more than one listen to enjoy it fully.

This is fine alt rock, I'm not sure it's TVotR's best. 3*

Як напевно багато хто, я вперше почув цей гурт коли вийшла відома серія брейкін бед, де Уолтер Вайт вимовив своє коронне stay out of my territory. І як же я тоді був вражений цією піснею, я подумав ще - як я міг пропустити цей гурт, це ж тупо геніально!

І яким же було моє розчарування коли я послухав їхні альбоми. Власне зараз я ще раз спробував зацінити Dear Science і результат той самий. Звісно назвати це поганою музикою я не можу, але і виділити більше ніж 2-3 пісні теж не можу. Якась слабка електроніка, абсолютно нехукові приспіви ітд. Але DLZ все ще геніальна

I’m at a 4.5 that I think I’ll bump up to a 5, though I’m a little shaky on it.

The last time we got TV on the Radio was November 2024, and it happened on a day when we got a glitch and basically got two albums at once. This album is making me wonder if I gave “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes” a fair enough shake & not just a slightly rushed job to play catchup, because I found myself really enjoying this one. I gave that album a 3, with an analogy about it having too many upward hills on a roller coaster & not enough drops. Nowadays, I find myself a little more patient with longer songs to reach a certain point, so it could just be my tastes growing a bit, but it also could be true that this album comes straight out of the gates a lot quicker.

This album’s first 3 tracks clicked really nicely for me, especially by the obviously “It’s The End of The World”-inspired track “Dancing Choose”. I think it hit its first shaky point on “Stork & Owl”, which just totally bounced off of me for a couple of reasons (namely the vocals feeling especially weird). “Golden Age” also felt a little shaky, but it might just be bad timing given the whole religious psychosis surrounding the rapture bullshit that happened recently & the lyricism feeling just a bit too “literal” now compared to how this might’ve been perceived in 2008.

Thankfully, they rebounded immediately with how lovely “Family Tree” is – seriously, that’s a standout track. “Red Dress” is good too, but I fear the lyricism / vocals go by just a little too quickly to really comprehend the depth of the subject matter. It’s sort of a Hey Ya thing, but at least Andre draws attention to it blatantly, whereas this one feels like it’s almost an afterthought, even if it’s not. It’s a groovy one, but I just feel like it’s very easy not to hear him and just want to dance.

After that, I think the album glides to a pretty strong finish; “Love Dog” feels like a sort of lo-fi Phil Collins track about someone deeply devoted with nobody to show love to, and I think the slower tempo of the track works for it. The outro is a little long though. “Shout Me Out” is super fun, especially with the tempo change in the middle absolutely boosting the energy of the track to a higher level. The volume is a little overblown though. “DLZ” is good; it feels like a shoegaze-y Tame Impala, and it’s “that one from Breaking Bad”, but even without the context of how well it’s used in the show, I think it just grabs the attention in a way that feels kind of authoritative. “Lover’s Day” is lusty as hell, but I think the track works as a kind of triumphant ending; besides, something about the idea of relationship-affirming sex that’s so good it invokes a marching band, heavenly strings & a church choir is so comedically over the top that I can’t help but admire it.

It’s all of the “thoughs” that are present through this thing that are keeping me at a shaky bump up; I do think this has enough little paper cuts that build up to the point where I could go down to a 4, but I never found myself actively disappointed with a track other than “Stork & Owl”. The rest of my complaints are basically just nitpicks about the lyricism occasionally feeling a bit confusing (hell, the childbirth scenario of the opening track didn’t click until he said “womb”), the mixing being a little strong at times (plenty of shoegaze-y / wall of sound elements that feel a bit overblown), & occasionally some vocal structures that just felt a little too loose (“Red Dress” comes to mind).

It’s not a thousand paper cuts though, so for as much as the album feels like it has “flaws”, I just think the foundation the album is built on is strong enough (& I just enjoyed it enough) that I think bumping it down wouldn’t feel fair. It’s a shaky bump up, for sure, but I think this is a good enough album to earn it. I certainly think it’s more enjoyable than the last one we got, though I may need to give it another try. It’s a strong 50 minutes regardless, and the floor is a 3 if all the little issues do compound that badly. For me, it’s a 4.5 that earns the bump up to a 5.

TV On The Radio feels like one of the most "2000s Pitchfork" bands ever to me, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Bad rep they have now aside, Pitchfork did have pretty good taste during a certain period and I do think of TV On The Radio as a "good" band. I think maybe because their particular take on the indie sound seems to exemplify everything the publication gravitated towards, as well as the kind of unique space in the public consciousness TV On The Radio seem to occupy. They feel tangential to the more "proper" 2000's indie pop scene, ending up somewhere similar, but seemingly coming from a slightly different world. TV On The Radio seemed to have their roots in the worlds of art rock, post-punk, soul, and to an extent, electronica. And this sound netted them a certain level of success, but I don't think I'd say they ever had a real hit or anything. In the past, I've enjoyed Return To Cookie Mountain, and Dear Science has been on my to-do list for a while. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but your mileage most likely depends on your amount of goodwill towards indie generally. I will say that I think Cookie Mountain was more willing to stake itself in the fuzzier woodlands of TVOTR's sound, while Dear Science is pared back to the core of their sound, leaving the weirdest edges of the band's sound behind. The result is a more focused sounding album that I do think is a little less interesting for it. However, the songwriting feels a little more front and center, and these are some really good tracks. Halfway Home, Dancing Choose, Stork & Owl, Red Dress, and DLZ are some of the best songs here. A lot of the songs here have a really interesting sense of momentum, and the performances are really good across the board. I especially enjoy the vocal performances, Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone both have unique stylings and great energy. And the sounds on these songs are a good representation of the sounds across this album. There is post-punky guitar, electronic percussion, think synthwork, and it's rounded out with flourishes from violin, horns and more. As I mentioned, if you enjoy indie, check this out, it's really strong, but I don't think it's gonna make the genre click with skeptics. And while I did enjoy this, I get to sense this has more to give, so I definitely see myself coming back to Dear Science.

Alright. Nothing much to say about the music. The cover, though, is dreadful. It seems like it was made on Canva for an album a family would put together for Christmas.

Pretty middle of the road album. Maybe it should be 2 stars instead.

Extraordinarily forgettable.

As of this writing, it has been 13 years since the album came out, and from my perspective, has had zero impact on later art or culture.

Not offensive, but not really worth talking about much either.

⭐⭐.5

I dunno if I liked this album or not. It seemed as if some songs I liked, some I didn't, then I think that some of the songs I didn't liked had a beat switch in the middle that I liked. It was kinda confusing in a good way. But I guess the album was okay, maybe I'll listen to it again in the future to have a better feeling with it, but I don't think my opinion on this will change.

The Good: we know we are not going to get bored…
The Bad: turns out that there’s nothing worth watching on the TV or hearing on the radio…
The Ugly: still not understanding what science has to do with this!

Bland… Or, blink and miss it…
That’s the best way to describe the music.
It’s not bad, but it’s just not there…

So, I am reviewing an album that I played twice back to back and I can’t recall the experience… and that’s not the first time it’s happened to me during this here 1001 list.

I do wish we could score on a 10 base, as this album isn’t 2*, but kind of isn’t 3* either. Guess it’s sticking to the trend it set for me with just not being anything...

One of the canonical albums of this decade of indie rock, but I think I wasn’t really paying attention when it hit, so it kind of passed me by. This is uptempo and driving, with the synth playing a dominant role and the bass delivering a kicking beat. It’s hard to pick out what the guitar is doing as it kind of disappears into the richly textural and layered sound - like Animal Collective but more structured and funky. A masterful studio production with lots of elements coming together in every section. The songs don’t linger in one place too long, peaking into big lush choruses transitioning into contemplative instrumental breaks, verses coming and going. It risks veering into the irritating prog zone, but stays safely away in the end.

En 2008, alors que le monde oscillait entre une anxiété palpable et un optimisme prudent, TV on the Radio a livré "Dear Science", un album qui semblait être la bande-son parfaite pour une époque complexe. Arrivant après le succès critique de "Return to Cookie Mountain", un disque dense, angoissé et formidablement alambiqué, "Dear Science" a pris tout le monde par surprise. Il s'est présenté comme une version plus lumineuse, plus accessible et indéniablement plus dansante du groupe de Brooklyn. C'est une oeuvre d'une intelligence et d'une ambition folles, un chef-d'oeuvre de production qui regorge d'idées.

Pourtant, c'est précisément dans cette perfection quasi clinique que réside sa principale faiblesse. "Dear Science" est un album que l'on admire plus qu'on ne le ressent, une démonstration de savoir-faire qui, en polissant ses angles, a malencontreusement gommé une partie de l'âme brute et viscérale qui rendait le groupe si unique et essentiel.

Le premier contact avec l'album est pourtant euphorique. Le producteur et multi-instrumentiste Dave Sitek, véritable architecte sonore du groupe, y déploie une palette d'une richesse inouïe. Les guitares post-punk abrasives sont toujours là, mais elles sont désormais drapées dans des arrangements de cordes luxuriants, des cuivres explosifs et des lignes de basse funk qui invitent irrésistiblement au mouvement.

Le morceau d'ouverture, "Halfway Home", nous rappelle brièvement le chaos maîtrisé de leurs débuts avant que "Crying" et, surtout, "Dancing Choose" ne nous plongent dans une frénésie rythmique. Ce dernier est un tour de force, un rap frénétique et paranoïaque sur un beat irrésistible, prouvant que l'on peut faire danser les gens tout en dénonçant les maux de la société. Le single "Golden Age" est le point culminant de cette nouvelle formule : un hymne funk optimiste, porté par des cuivres éclatants et le chant charismatique de Tunde Adebimpe. C'est brillant, contagieux et incroyablement bien ficelé.

C'est là que le "mais" intervient. Si la "Science" du titre est évidente dans la précision chirurgicale des arrangements et la complexité des couches sonores, le "Dear" (le cher, l'intime) semble s'être perdu en chemin. "Return to Cookie Mountain" était un cri du coeur, une plongée dans les ténèbres intérieures et collectives. "Dear Science", lui, est un disque-cerveau. Il analyse, décortique et commente l'apocalypse avec une distance presque académique.

Les thèmes lyriques sont toujours aussi sombres – la guerre, le consumérisme, la dégradation de l'environnement, l'apathie politique – mais ils sont souvent servis sur des musiques si entraînantes et festives qu'un décalage se crée. La tension viscérale, ce sentiment de danger imminent qui parcourait leurs oeuvres précédentes, est ici désamorcée par la production elle-même. L'album est si parfaitement calibré, si lisse, qu'il lui manque cette rugosité, cette faille qui laisse passer l'émotion pure.

Des titres comme "Stork & Owl" ou "Red Dress" sont impeccablement construits, des exercices de style admirables, mais ils peinent à provoquer le frisson. Ils glissent sur l'auditeur sans véritablement l'agripper. On entend la virtuosité, on reconnaît le génie de la composition, mais la connexion émotionnelle reste fragile. On a l'impression d'observer une magnifique machine complexe plutôt que de partager une expérience humaine.

En fin de compte, "Dear Science" est un paradoxe fascinant. C'est l'album qui a offert à TV on the Radio son plus grand succès commercial et critique, et pour de bonnes raisons. C'est une oeuvre sophistiquée, audacieuse et en avance sur son temps. Cependant, en visant une forme de perfection pop-funk-art-rock, le groupe a sacrifié une part de son essence la plus précieuse : sa capacité à être imprévisible, dangereux et profondément touchant dans son imperfection.

C'est un album essentiel dans la discographie du groupe et un marqueur important du rock indépendant des années 2000. Il mérite une écoute attentive et un grand respect pour son ambition. Mais pour l'auditeur qui cherchait dans TV on the Radio une catharsis, un cri partagé face au chaos du monde, "Dear Science" offre une réponse trop polie, trop contrôlée. C'est un chef-d'oeuvre de l'intellect qui laisse un peu le coeur sur sa faim. Un excellent album, sans aucun doute, mais pas le chef-d'oeuvre bouleversant qu'il aurait pu être. Un beau 3 sur 5

Pretty middle of the road really, nothing stood out, nothing excited me, it all blended together into a dull mix.

the best of emotive rock. Stirring, entertaining, persuasive, and awesome.

Golden Age and Family Tree stand out on this album. The rest feels like background music to me.