TV On The Radio — Return To Cookie Mountain

A record titled Return To Cookie Mountain should be reserved for the novelty shelves, but TV On The Radio, as they always do, find a way to make the unconventional seem acceptable. The thing that primarily excuses the ridiculous album title is the fact that the LP is leaps and bounds better than Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. And that's not to say that record had major deficiencies — far from it. It's just that on Return, they take the promise of their vocal and instrumental ability and apply them to songwriting that is so universally great that it's sometimes spine-chilling in its excellence. Specifically, the sparse "A Method" has the record's best harmonies, while "Wolf Like Me" is an atmospheric rocker that positively sears with passion. Talk about avoiding the sophomore slump.

Get it from