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. GeoffG.
    Sep 23, 2008
    9
    Thoroughly enjoyed this release. Their sound has transcended into a slower and spacier feel, with less emphasis on the lead singer's howling vocals and more on catchy instrumental riffs. This CD is as if Skeletal Lamping had a three way with Apologies to the Queen Mary and In Ghost Colours, and nobody knows who the father is. Very enjoyable stuff which I would suggest to anyone and Thoroughly enjoyed this release. Their sound has transcended into a slower and spacier feel, with less emphasis on the lead singer's howling vocals and more on catchy instrumental riffs. This CD is as if Skeletal Lamping had a three way with Apologies to the Queen Mary and In Ghost Colours, and nobody knows who the father is. Very enjoyable stuff which I would suggest to anyone and everyone. This is music, people.… Expand
  2. BrandonT.
    Sep 23, 2008
    9
    TVOTR made a record that feels like a condensed and more colorfull version of Return to Cookie Mountain. The songs act more as songs, but their is still a feeling of hysteria lurking behind the corner. It's just that now, whatever it is that's lurking is probably a little bi-polar and slighly less scary. The pop funk of "Crying" and "Red Dress" equate to two of the bands best TVOTR made a record that feels like a condensed and more colorfull version of Return to Cookie Mountain. The songs act more as songs, but their is still a feeling of hysteria lurking behind the corner. It's just that now, whatever it is that's lurking is probably a little bi-polar and slighly less scary. The pop funk of "Crying" and "Red Dress" equate to two of the bands best songs that actully fit into a known song structure. The whole record is consistent, and even when things slow down on tracks like "Family Tree" and "Stork and Owl", where most bands would lose steam, TVOTR is good enough musicall to make those parts compelling. It isn't a perfect album, but for this band to make a record that still sounds like them, is still of extremely high quality, and is as all-over-the-place as anything they have done, the fact that it's 50 plus minutes fly by at what seems like half the speed of RTCM indicates that this great band is improving, and could get even better. For now though, we'll bang Dear Science, - a record that runs fast, runs wild, and runs deep.… Expand
  3. Aaron
    Sep 23, 2008
    10
    They never cease to amaze. Red Dress is great to speed through town, blasting on your stereo with the windows down.
  4. MusaS.
    Sep 23, 2008
    10
    Possibly the best album of the year from Halfway Home to Lovers Day i couldn't put my headphones down.The also astounding feat is that this is a black indie rock band,which i yet to ever see.
  5. MaxM.
    Sep 23, 2008
    9
    FINALLY. The New TVOTR album. Did they live up to the hype: obviously, yes. Their songs are sexy and the melody brings out a good Carpe Diem feeling. Dear Science reminds me of the Talking Heads.
  6. ChK
    Sep 23, 2008
    10
    Well, I think it's best album I've hard recently.
  7. Homer
    Sep 23, 2008
    7
    it´s a good record but Return to Cookie Mountain is much better.
  8. MannyB.
    Sep 23, 2008
    9
    One word: brilliant.
  9. GregB.
    Sep 23, 2008
    10
    Album of the year. Hands down. Killer music with killer melodies and spectacular vocals.
  10. AlexM.
    Sep 23, 2008
    9
    On their first official release in 2004, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, the band grew from the homestyle recording quality of OK Calculator. The songs' structures solidified, but the music stayed roughly the same (just with the added difference of a better recording). It's a very personal album. Their 2nd official release, Return to Cookie Mountain, sought a more mature On their first official release in 2004, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, the band grew from the homestyle recording quality of OK Calculator. The songs' structures solidified, but the music stayed roughly the same (just with the added difference of a better recording). It's a very personal album. Their 2nd official release, Return to Cookie Mountain, sought a more mature sound. It was also a much darker sounding album. They had money to do grade-A professional stuff and they did it. And it was fantastic. Dear Science, sounds like they took what was best about Desperate Youth and what was best about Return and combined the two into a professional and personal album. It's like they read my mind. I absolutely love strawberry jelly. But I also love peanut butter. I will occasionally eat one or the other by itself from time to time. But God bless the man who figured out that both go great together between two pieces of bread. This is what the band have done. They have mixed their peanut butter with their jelly and added the necessary bread to produce a very cohesive album.… Expand
  11. WillC.
    Sep 22, 2008
    10
    I would vote it a 10.1 if I could.
  12. AlexH.
    Sep 22, 2008
    10
    Truly an amazing album. This is the first I have heard of them and they have a new fan.
  13. MatthewA.
    Sep 22, 2008
    10
    This is a 10. Return to Cookie Mountain was easier to admire than it was to love: in other words, I found myself acknowledging that the album was impressive more than I found myself actually wanting to listen to it. Dear Science completely changes that. I think production is a big thing. It is much more inviting and, dare I say it, accessible here than it was on their previous albums. This is a 10. Return to Cookie Mountain was easier to admire than it was to love: in other words, I found myself acknowledging that the album was impressive more than I found myself actually wanting to listen to it. Dear Science completely changes that. I think production is a big thing. It is much more inviting and, dare I say it, accessible here than it was on their previous albums. This does not hinder their creativity in the slightest-it just increases the chance that your girlfriend might actually be open to listening to it. By far the best album so far this year (edging out Elbow and Neon Neon's also excellent albums).… Expand
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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.
    Read full review
  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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