TV on the Radio, Subtle
Vogue
Thursday, March 8, 8 p.m., $15

TV on the Radio belongs to the pantheon of new indie-rockers, along with the Shins, the Decemberists and Arcade Fire, who have been breaking into mainstream culture with somewhat “difficult” music. The Brooklyn, N.Y., trio has brought an urban artist chic to the table with its first two records. All members deliver their artistic output in a variety of mediums, including painting, film and freelance musical production, but it has been the work of their band that has brought them fame.

The first thing to notice about TV on the Radio is the incredible ease with which the band dips in and out of different musical styles. The group is hard to define — at times it can sound like a typically prog-rock-influenced indie band, but at other times there are sonic displays of hard rock, electronic music and dark ambient travelogues. It is a testament to the originality of TV on the Radio that the band never seems overwhelmed or over ambitious in its tour of genres, and the music actually pulls off sounding quite unlike anything else.

TV on the Radio has shot to its current glory fairly quickly. After becoming a critical darling with the 2003 debut EP Young Liars, the band toured with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Faint, the Fall and the Pixies, allowing them to build a tough filament of street cred. The band’s first full-length LP, 2004’s Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babies, won the coveted Shortlist Prize and scored the group a major label contract with 4AD for its next album. 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain was fittingly more controlled and polished and included backing vocals by David Bowie. Despite the mainstream role the band now plays, it seems to be firmly fixed on continuing down an experimental path.