Dear Science,
by TV on the Radio
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 285 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 252 out of 285
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 285
  3. Negative: 14 out of 285

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  1. drunkenstepdaddad
    Sep 29, 2008
    10
    Get out and catch tvotr's live show - expect to have a good time.
  2. Patrick
    Sep 29, 2008
    10
    I love this CD! TV on the Radio has, in my mind, always produced quality stuff. It's so unique, so unlike everyone else. Dear Science, is great! Experimental, musical genius.
  3. DavidRussell
    Jan 13, 2009
    7
    I like it more than their last album but I'll never love this band. They are talented but there's something missing. It's like they're satisfied being cool and sounding good without laying it all out there. They're not fun, if you want proof try playing their albums at parties and see how it goes over. The parts are better than the whole. Maybe I'm being a I like it more than their last album but I'll never love this band. They are talented but there's something missing. It's like they're satisfied being cool and sounding good without laying it all out there. They're not fun, if you want proof try playing their albums at parties and see how it goes over. The parts are better than the whole. Maybe I'm being a little hard on these guys but I don't think I'll ever love these songs.… Expand
  4. johne
    Feb 14, 2009
    10
    Simply put, Perfection!! I listen to it every day and find something new every time. Intelligent, dynamic, and deep.
  5. RichardR.
    Feb 28, 2009
    10
    I especially love the very first track: for me, it's the Beach Boys meet the Mary Chain. Whole album is great, very inventive.
  6. nick
    Nov 23, 2008
    9
    I think people who are complaining about the "drastic" change in sound (spoiler alert: all the noise is still here, it's just in different places) are missing the point of Dear Science. The reason Sitek's production has become so much lighter is just to let this band breathe. I know that Cookie Mountain is a Holy Grail of a record in the critics' circle, but let's be I think people who are complaining about the "drastic" change in sound (spoiler alert: all the noise is still here, it's just in different places) are missing the point of Dear Science. The reason Sitek's production has become so much lighter is just to let this band breathe. I know that Cookie Mountain is a Holy Grail of a record in the critics' circle, but let's be honest: it's mostly the production that takes the center stage on that album, a barrage of drums and fuzz and loudness. In Dear Science the rhythm and melody get their much needed spotlight- drummer Jaleel Bunton and bassist/keyboardist Gerard Smith assert their expertise and steadiness under Kyp Malone's wavery rasp and Abedimpe's joyful shouts. Reverb and distortion are replaced with tighter and clearer guitars and wailing horns. If Cookie Mountain was an album about living in a post-9/11 Bush-era world, Dear Science is about the dawn of another age. In between ballads we are greeted with the punches of "Dancing Choose" and "Golden Age"- two songs that are simply expressions of pure energy and joy, two emotions completely new to this band. Heck, this band seem to be so relieved at something (the election?) that they actually have time to record a really good love song and a really good sex song. This album is not about a band selling out- it's about a band just starting to have fun.… Expand
  7. JeffW
    Nov 26, 2008
    9
    Great disk. It sounds to me like all the band members got to play to their strengths, making for a very interesting listen. Lots of variety, lots of lively songs. I find myself liking it more with every listen. Highly recommended.
  8. Vampire25
    Dec 21, 2010
    9
    I was never a big fan of Return To Cookie Mountain but Dear Science blew me away with all its funkadelic sound to it. This is what I call experimenting with rock. There is a little bit of jazz fusion, little bit of soul, little bit of funk, lots of rock. Everything sounded so good. "Halfway Home" was a great starter. "Family Tree" is easily the best song on the album. And "Dancing Choose"I was never a big fan of Return To Cookie Mountain but Dear Science blew me away with all its funkadelic sound to it. This is what I call experimenting with rock. There is a little bit of jazz fusion, little bit of soul, little bit of funk, lots of rock. Everything sounded so good. "Halfway Home" was a great starter. "Family Tree" is easily the best song on the album. And "Dancing Choose" was another great track. All In All, Dear Science is an impressive, articulate album. A-… Collapse
  9. lovemusic
    May 15, 2011
    9
    OMG THIS ALBUM IS GREAT. every song is good. Crying, Stork & Owl, Family tree, and Lovers Day and Golden Age are the highlights of the album. its a near perfect album i loved it. whoever didn't like this album either hate alternative or they don't appreciate music. 9 out of 10 it was genius
  10. LetzTalkMoveez
    Nov 20, 2012
    9
    Analytical as any critic may be, dissecting TV on the Radio's lyrics, slobbering over their dedication to unique, eccentric songwriting, they're gonna have to shut their mouths here. "Dear Science" showcases an eccentric TV on the Radio, but also a f**king drop dead sexy, kick-back-and-soak one. My God, this thing is dope.
  11. pugowner
    Apr 24, 2018
    10
    I liked this album at first. Then I loved it. Then I got kind of tired of it. Now I love it more than I ever did before
  12. BouchetSmith
    Mar 2, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely beautiful music. I would describe them as what Radiohead would sound like if they were black: just as musically and creatively marvellous, but more funky. This is the type of album you should listen to with a good pair of headphones, because there are so many sounds and textures that you want to be able to experience them al to the fullest degree.
    9.7    … Expand
  13. Ndrwdvdbrsn
    Oct 9, 2022
    10
    TV on the Radio's best album Dear Science doesn't get the praise it deserves. TVOTR's sound is just so fun to listen to, but they are hardly ever mentioned nowadays. When I first discovered this album it immediately became one of my favorites.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Album of 2008
13
#13 Most Discussed Album of 2008
45
#45 Most Shared Album of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. PopMatters
    90
    There’s a sense of purpose here, of direction and clarity, shafts of accessibility that relegate the din to the background without ever compromising the potentially hostile underbelly of the band’s core sound.
    Read full review
  2. Spin
    90
    Throughout Dear Science, TV on the Radio--which includes the rhythm section of bassist Gerard Smith and drummer Jaleel Bunton--flesh out Adebimpe's and Malone's ruminations with relentlessly inventive arrangements that make even familiar sentiments seem fresh.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    91
    On Dear Science, TVOTR finds a more traditional consistency, transmuting that dirty experimentalism into a lush cleanliness that eases--rather than hurls--its songs into the art-making ether.
    Read full review
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