TV On The Radio's Movie!

As you probably know, the Brooklyn band TV on the Radio have released their latest LP, Nine Types of Light. This post, however, will skirt around a review of the album. Instead, I would like to focus on the movie that TVotR have released, composed of a separate music video for every song on the album.

Each individual music video was directed by either friends of the band or filmmakers they admire. The general concepts were developed by Tunde Adebimpe, frontman of the band. "The movie is ment to be a re-imaging of the record" states the band's youtube page, and that truly seems to be the case. For example, the song "Forgotten" (34:19) does not immediately bring to mind zombies, celebrities, and guns--but somehow it fits.

The most powerful parts of the film, however, are the interviews framing each song. Local New Yorkers were interviewed and presented in short snippets speaking about such topics as: "dreams, love, fame, and the future." These real-world viewpoints tie together the extreme imagery presented in the musical segments. Overall the video is a great way to get a first or second listen to the album. Even if it does seem claustrophobic and cluttered at times, there are some real gems. Look into "Will Do" (24:47) for a heartbreaking take on virtual reality and "Killer Crane" (39:29) for a documentary-style video of the band touring followed by a haunting scene depicting the band meeting up, post-haitus, for the first time in ten years (45:36).