TV On The Radio — Dear Science

If this Brooklyn, N.Y.-based band's third disc is so mired in uncertainty and desperation, then why is it so irresistibly funky? It could be a metaphor for 2008 in general, as a rapidly expanding economic crisis, a divisive U.S. presidential election, the precarious nature of international relations and the ever-present grim spectre of terrorism have plunged our world into a self-propelling airship, aimed directly at the apocalypse. With vibrant horns provided by Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Dear Science is the soundtrack to young, affluent society staring into the massive abyss of the future and choosing to dance as the band plays us out. From the funkadelic guitar riff on "Crying" to the spastic "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" motor-mouthed charm of "Dancing Choose," the angelic call-to-arms "Golden Age" and the race-based dancefloor favourite "Red Dress," Dear Science is the sound of falsettoed men pushed to their limit and — as they reach the precipice — pushing back.

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