TV on the Radio @ Town Ballroom, Buffalo NY, 6/30/08

I have to admit: I bought Return to Cookie Mountain in 2006, and, despite the wide critical acclaim, it never grabbed me. So it was with initial ambivalence and hesitation I went to last's night's show, at Jess' urging that "they're really fun live!"



And they were. I'm a convert. In comparison, the album stuff falls flat. While there was plenty of dancing (good!) and moshing (bad!), the set consistently delivered a soul-fueled prog rock performance. With heady head-bangers interspersed with slow jamz, the Buffalo debut of this great group was fraught with high spirits and deep emotion.



I mean, c'mon, I know that you also totally want a T-shirt with a giant rosary on it and instructions on how to use it (well, all us lapsed Catholics, anyway.)



And really, experimental rock doesn't even scratch the surface: Guitar + wind chimes + cymbals + clapping + whistling = WIN





And, there was secret-sharing! Because I positively can't keep this a secret (nor could I expect the other few hundred folks there) TVotR announced they just finished a NEW ALBUM!!!!! I am hoping/thinking it will be out this fall/winter. He said "it sucks though!" which I highly doubt, if it has any of the energy that was expressed last night. But they did debut one of the new songs:



So, it is with some remorse I am not offering up any downloads, as I only have album cuts and it just seems trite in comparison. The good news is that there were many recorders out there, so I recommend poking around Hype Machine and YouTube for clips in the next few days as they surface: you'll be amply rewarded with goodness.