Music note: TV on the Radio at First Ave—Art rock that actually rocks

There are two types of bands: those who are unabashedly ambitious, and those who pretend not to be. TV on the Radio fall into the former category: not only do they want to be the best band in the world but they want to do it on their terms, executing their vision without sacrificing an iota of integrity. So far, it’s working.

Though the band produces “art rock” that even they have admitted can be a little pretentious, they have been embraced by both the mainstream and alternative music media. Their recent release Dear Science has come on the heels of their widely-loved Return to Cookie Mountain, and looks to garner even more praise than its predecessor. The band brought their complex sound to First Avenue last week for two shows: a sold-out 21+ event as well as an all-ages show.

Detroit’s The Dirtbombs opened the all-ages show, revving the audience up with their punk- and soul-influenced rock tunes. Mick Collins (formerly of punk band The Gories) leads the outfit on guitar, backed by two drumsets and two basses. Their heavily fuzzed-out anthems got every member of the crowd bouncing by the end of the set. The band left the stage in mid-song, each member carrying equipment off stage while the others continued playing. At the end, only one of the drummers was left—standing on top of a kick drum on the empty platform.

When TV on the Radio lead singer Tunde Adebimpe finally took center stage, the audience went crazy, giving the band a warm reception as the stage lights slowly came up. The band proceeded to ignite the evening with gems off of their last two releases, as well as a few tunes from their debut LP Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes. Throughout the set Adembimpe hopped around the stage on his toes while guest vocalist Katrina Ford (of Celebration) and Kyp Malone chimed in, creating TVOTR’s unique sound of layered voices over complex loops, beats, and guitar jamming. The music ran the gamut, with the vocals swinging from low-pitched growls to high wails, backed by drums, keys, guitar, and saxophone as well as the computer-assisted sampling that gives TVOTR its edge in modern rock. By the time the band closed out their set with an intense rendition of “Satellite,” the audience was a bundle of flailing arms and bobbing heads. No fan could have been disappointed with the diverse range of songs at the high-energy show, and those who chose to stick around after TVOTR left the stage were rewarded with the band’s return for a rollicking encore presentation.

Jon Behm is a Minneapolis-based photographer and writer. While his specialty is music, Jon has a wide variety of interests that tend to take him all over the Twin Cities on a daily basis.