Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV on the Radio’s Young Liars EP was a wonderful surprise, signaling the arrival of one of the most unique acts to seemingly come out of nowhere during the 2000s. Its alchemy of strange sonic bedfellows like post-punk and doo wop, and powerful vocals and experimental leanings, into songs that were challenging and accessible was no small feat; indeed, Young Liars was such an accomplished EP that it begged the question — and ratcheted up the expectations — of what TV on the Radio could do over the course of an entire album. The answer arrives with Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, a deeper, darker, denser version of the band’s already ambitious sound. Dave Sitek and Tunde Adepimbe push their abilities as sculptors of sounds and words to new limits. Adepimbe in particular continues to prove himself as a distinctive and captivating voice, both musically and lyrically. Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes’ opening track, “The Wrong Way,” is one of the best reflections of his strengths as a singer and writer, and of TV on the Radio’s overall growth. Through the song, Adepimbe explores his feelings about being a black man and about black culture at large. Inwardly, he wavers between radical and placating thoughts and his feelings of obligation to be “Teachin’ folks the score/About patience, understanding, agape babe/And sweet sweet amour.” Around him, he sees mindless materialism, with bling “fallin’ down just like rain,” and misplaced anger and violence: “Hey, desperate youth! Oh bloodthirsty babes! Oh your guns are pointed the wrong way.