TV on the Radio

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TV on the Radio is a Brooklyn-based band that was formed in 2000. They are known for their Genre Busting sound, often combining elements of hip-hop, soul, post-punk, electronica, and alternative rock into their music.

Band members:

• Tunde Adebimpe: vocals, loops
• Kyp Malone: guitars, keyboards, loops
• David Andrew Sitek: vocals, guitars, bass, loops
• Jaleel Bunton: drums, vocals, loops, guitars
• Gerard Smith: bass, keyboards (deceased)

Discography:

• OK Calculator (2002)
• Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004)
• Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
• Dear Science (2008)
• Nine Types Of Light (2011)

David Sitek has also produced quite a few albums, including all three of the albums from Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

TV on the Radio provides examples of the following tropes:

• Author Existence Failure - Gerard Smith, the band's bassist, died of lung cancer one week after the release of Nine Types of Light.
• Badass Beard - Tunde usually sports a respectable stubble, but Kyp Malone's facial hair could rival Rutherford B. Hayes'
• Broken Record - "My repetition, my repetition is this" x20 or so at the end of "Repetition".
• Destructo-Nookie - "Lover's Day". Sweet Jesus, "Lover's Day."
• Genre Busting
• Genre Roulette - Their albums contain any number of different song styles, including drum-and-bass, avant-garde, trip hop, a capella, power ballad, or New Wave. With this as well as Genre Busting and Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly under their belt, it is safe to say their music defies simple categorization.
• He Also Did - Tunde Adebimpe has appeared in lead or major supporting roles in a couple films, notably Jump Tomorrow and Rachel Getting Married.
• Heartbeat Soundtrack - "Tonight." Sounds more like a heart with a pacemaker or something though.
• Hey, It's That Voice! - Yes, that is David Bowie providing backing vocals on "Province".
• Magical Negro - Played with in the song "The Wrong Way":

Wake up in a magic nigger movie/with the bright lights pointed at me/as a metaphor/teachin' folks the score/about patience, understanding, agape babe/and sweet sweet amour

• Mind Screw - tons of their music videos. "Province" is a particularly outstanding example.
• Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: Post-punk, funk, electro, dub, Afrobeat, hip hop, progressive rock, gospel, noise rock, swing, synthpop... and that's just only a fraction of what you'll hear in an average TV on the Radio album.
• Parody - their video for the song "You" in the video "Nine Types of Light" is a parody of Prince, possibly of the affectionate variety. In the movie, Tunde leaves the band and begins a solo career that is clearly modeled after Prince.
  • Definitely an affectionate one, seeing as how they listed Prince as one of their main influences.
• Shout-Out - their first album, OK Calculator, was titled as a reference to Radiohead's Magnum Opus, OK Computer.
• Signature Song - "Wolf Like Me."
• Token Minority - David Sitek is the only white guy in a band that is otherwise entirely black.