TV on the Radio on the TV

TV on the Radio are the greatest band in the world.

They are also my favorite band, but that should in no way detract from your appreciation of the previous statement. They are 100%, hyperbole-free, THE BEST. But you wouldn't know it if all you had to go on was either of their major TV appearances the last few days.

The Brooklyn band — whose recent album "Dear Science" rightfully landed atop many Top 10 lists last year — have always enjoyed ridiculous amounts of critical acclaim, and have a healthy fan base (consisting primarily of annoying hipsters, but don't hold that against them.) Their live shows are powerful, their albums are exciting, genre-spanning experiences.

But for a band with the word "TV" in their name, the small screen just isn't their forte. Their set on "Saturday Night Live" this past weekend was hampered by poor sound mixing (likely the fault of "SNL") that saw the chorus of "Golden Age" overpowered by a horn section. And the guys — or at least three of them: Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone and Dave Sitek — seemed a bit lost during an interview on "The Colbert Report" last night. (Only Adebimpe showed any spark of liveliness, but then he's a part-time actor, having appeared recently in "Rachel Getting Married.")

Not that there's anything wrong with a certain amount of media cluelessness. No way would I want to see them all smiles and quips, sheen and savvy — like, I don't know, frickin' Maroon 5. No, I'm perfectly happy if their creative endeavors are contained in the recording studio, instead of Studio 8H. And their appearances still contained enough unadulterated awesome to hopefully attract new fans. They are, after, the greatest band in the world.

"Golden Age" on SNL:




"Golden Age" video:




"Dancing Choose" on "Colbert":

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

TV on the Radio - Dancing Choose

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"Dancing Choose" video:



— Adam Reinhard, areinhard@greenbaypressgazette.com