TV on the Radio

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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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:

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.