The term “art rock” has always intrigued me, or I guess frustrated me. I don’t like it, the same way I don’t like white collar/blue collar- for the simple fact that all work is good, and all music is art. So what checklist are you completing, by being able to deem yourself worthy of the “art rock” title?
TV On The Radio, is one of such bands, that have fallen under the “art rock” category. And to be honest, I didn’t love them at first. “Wolf Like Me” was an incredible song, no doubt about it, but upon initial listens the rest of album just seemed to go nowhere. Dear Science was an easier listen, the songs were apparent, the dynamics shifted, and the melodies stuck with you after only a few listens. However, Return To Cookie Mountain, did nothing for me still. I felt like I was being left out of the club, I knew there was a reason people loved this album, but I just couldn’t get into it.
It wasn’t until I read a review of another “art rock” band, Women, that I had a break through. I read that the beauty of Public Strain lied in the way Women were able to produce circular tension throughout the album, while keeping the listener intrigued. That was it- the magic word, “tension”. Creating tension in a song doesn’t make it a radio single, it won’t make people sing along, and it’s not the kind of music that fits kindly into the background. Tension makes you work to find the core of the song, but it’s an element that can keep you infinitely intrigued.
Return To Cookie Mountain brilliantly creates tension through repetition, noise, and steady dynamics. The band forces you to really get involved with each song, and only then will it let you in.
