TV on the Radio

TV on the Radio is a New York City avant-garde indie-rock vocal band formed in 2001 whose music spans genres as diverse as free jazz, a cappella/doo-wop, trip-hop and electro.

The core members are Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/loops) David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), along with Jaleel Bunton (drums) and Gerard Smith (bass).

Other contributors include Katrina Ford of the band Celebration (vocals), Martin Perna (saxophones, flute) of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and Nick Zinner (guitar) of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The first album from TV On The Radio (initially just founding members Adebimpe and Sitek) was the self-released OK Calculator (the title being a reference to Radiohead's seminal album OK Computer), the majority of which is wildly different from their later sound, with elements of electronica, hip hop and turntablism. Later they were joined by Kyp Malone and released the Young Liars EP in 2003 to great critical acclaim. This was followed by their full-length debut, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes which earned the band the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize. They released a second EP, New Health Rock, later in 2004. Their most recent album, Return to Cookie Mountain, leaked in early 2006 and garnered pre-release praise from such outlets as Pitchfork Media[1] before its official release in July overseas. U.S. and Canadian audiences had to wait until September for an official release, on major label Interscope.

Founding member David Andrew Sitek has produced records with such bands as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Celebration, and Liars. Currently building his own studio, Sitek is in the process of producing the first LP for Dragons of Zynth, and working with them on a collaboration with Massive Attack for an upcoming New Gothic/soul album. He has also recently mixed the debut album by The Longcut.

Tunde Adebimpe has also worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, producing and animating their Pin video.

TV on the Radio is one of the favorite active bands of rock icon David Bowie, who also contributes backing vocals on the track "Province" from the latest effort, Return to Cookie Mountain. The album was released July 6, 2006 worldwide (except the United States and Canada) by 4AD. The official North American release date was September 12, 2006 by Interscope Records. Bowie had been following TV on the Radio since 2003, when Sitek sold Bowie's doorman a painting and passed along some of the band's recordings. After surprising the group with an adulatory phone call, Bowie kept in touch with the band members, advising them on everything from how to deal with record executives to what to do with "Dry Drunk Emperor," a Bush-bashing single that they recorded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. (They released the track online for free, per Bowie's suggestion.) "They have a strong link with the great body of American poetry, especially Beat poetry," Bowie says. "The sampling, multitracking and mashing identifies them as the spawn of a techno-industrial society. I love the new record. I play it about three times a week, which is, like, saturation level for me."

Wikipedia's article on TV on the Radio.