Return To Cookie Mountain
by TV on the Radio
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 247 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 198 out of 247
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 247
  3. Negative: 21 out of 247

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  1. ChadM
    Nov 20, 2006
    5
    Very complex stuff. It dosen't have a real groove to it, so I have a hard time getting in the mood to listen to the album. I can recognize that they are talented, and I will assume that the album will grow on me as time goes by. I believe this is similiar to King Crimson albums where I have to listen to them 20+ times to really start to enjoy them.
  2. TBone
    Oct 2, 2006
    5
    Mediocre.
  3. Joris
    Oct 14, 2006
    6
    Tonight, Wolf Like Me, Province, I Was A Lover and Blues From Down here are the higlights but besides the above mentioned it gets quite boring... Good band but slightly overrated... Bowie didn't only get impressed by TV On The Radio but also by the lastest release of THE SECRET MACHINES (Ten Silver Drops), which is in my opinion far more superior -you should ckeck them out!
  4. CrabsodyInBlue
    Sep 30, 2006
    4
    "playhouses" is great but the rest is soooooo much overrated.
  5. Jimmyn
    Oct 6, 2006
    4
    the song about wolves is pretty good (songs about wolves generally are) but one great song, messy production, and a bowie cameo does not a better album than "loveless" make. tv on the radio is the living colour of the 'aughties, not just because they are black, but that doesn't help matters.
  6. WillyM
    Sep 11, 2006
    4
    This album is like taking medicine. Maybe it's good for you in some way, but it tastes yucky. Will join "Clap Your Hands....Yeah" in my "Why did I buy this?" pile. Damn critics.
  7. GuyH
    Sep 25, 2006
    6
    A mix of the good, the bad and the downright ugly. The Bowie track Province is good, as are the understated Tonight, strong opener I Was A Lover and moody A Method. Too many of the remaining tracks are shambolic and sprawling, with repetitive vocals. Worse still, Let the Devil In almost unspeakably lame and sits slap bang in the middle of the record...
  8. AnthonyC
    Dec 27, 2006
    6
    TV On The Radio has promise, since their sound is so unique. However, they have some big weaknesses which drag down the CD. The vocals, with someone singing low and the other singing falsetto, sometimes sound muddy and indistinct. If they had more confidence in their lyrics or melody, they wouldn't do that. Sometimes their songs are tuneless, and considering their demographics, are TV On The Radio has promise, since their sound is so unique. However, they have some big weaknesses which drag down the CD. The vocals, with someone singing low and the other singing falsetto, sometimes sound muddy and indistinct. If they had more confidence in their lyrics or melody, they wouldn't do that. Sometimes their songs are tuneless, and considering their demographics, are often very un-funky. They have promise, but Cookie Mountain is hopefully not their peak.… Expand
  9. RobC
    Dec 4, 2006
    6
    C'mon, they're good but... one of the 2006 bests?.
  10. GregC
    Jul 7, 2006
    6
    Decent record at best. On par with "Desperate Youth..." but i still find "Young Liars" to be their best. Way too much hype surrounding this release. Bowie doesnt do anything for me here. The New Lows & Bishop Allen...both superior Brooklyn bands.
  11. HolyReality
    Jul 8, 2006
    4
    the most overrated band out there today. the most overrated album of the year by a longshot.
  12. ConsequencesForVillainy
    Aug 16, 2006
    5
    Ah, I dunno. Feel bad about this one, 'cause I praise the virtues of a system like metacritic to most I meet. First track is impressive and driving - like Mars Volta with their amp plugs half-way out of their respective inputs - but the rest of it muddles together. Sounds less important and artistic than what I'm reading about. I can appreciate the risk/reward aspect of their Ah, I dunno. Feel bad about this one, 'cause I praise the virtues of a system like metacritic to most I meet. First track is impressive and driving - like Mars Volta with their amp plugs half-way out of their respective inputs - but the rest of it muddles together. Sounds less important and artistic than what I'm reading about. I can appreciate the risk/reward aspect of their work, but it lacks importance.… Expand
  13. mikes.
    Aug 23, 2006
    5
    an overrated group to begin with and although they have evolved since their previous effort, this is a novelty band. Yes they sound "different," but this album doesn't have the impact of their previous album because their "uniqueness" is not as fresh as the first time we heard them.
  14. JBone
    Sep 15, 2006
    6
    It's not awful, but pretty close. The production is pretty bad with the vocals oppressive yet indecipherable at the same time. A few decent tracks in there. I think I like the first one better. But I think I'll just put on Broken Social Scene instead.
  15. denisev
    Sep 21, 2006
    5
    an interesting child impossible to bond with
  16. TonyG.
    Dec 27, 2007
    4
    I listened to this album and I thought was awful. It seemed as though it tried too hard to be non-commercial and not a single song stood out as interesting.
  17. DoctorHate!
    Feb 2, 2007
    4
    Wow. My friends listen to some really annoying crap.
  18. VinceF
    Oct 21, 2006
    4
    Have been listening to this album since it came out, in the car, in the shower, to sleep to, while eating, while exercising, while smoking the green demon.... and I keep waiting for it to gel and turn into something musical like most good albums do eventually. But it just hasn't, for me, turned into anything more than a dense mish-mash of semi-good ideas stretched out to ridiculous Have been listening to this album since it came out, in the car, in the shower, to sleep to, while eating, while exercising, while smoking the green demon.... and I keep waiting for it to gel and turn into something musical like most good albums do eventually. But it just hasn't, for me, turned into anything more than a dense mish-mash of semi-good ideas stretched out to ridiculous lengths. The first few songs peak my interest but then it turns boring and indistinguishable in the middle and never recovers. I really really wanted to like this album. I thought the Young Liars EP was incredible, and although I was incredibly disappointed with their debut LP I held out hope for this one. Well, I have listened to this album at least thirty times straight through and it just doesn't do it for me. It's hard to doubt the genuine honesty of these guys in trying to create something new in the pop landscape but they need to spend more time crafting songs than crafting their (awesome) production styles. Sorry TVotR! I'll never stop buying your albums but this one let me down.… Expand
  19. umbertop
    Oct 26, 2006
    6
    sonically confused. it gives me headache
  20. TimM
    Sep 26, 2006
    6
    They are original I'll give them that, however, Wolf Like Me and I Was A Lover are the only tracks that stand out. not very flowing, laacking one important thing...music. A 6.7.
  21. ClaraE
    Nov 19, 2006
    6
    They have a long way to go to live up to the praise of these lemming-like critics. I just don't get it - there is something so self-conscious about this music - you can really hear it in the vocal delivery which many times is drenched in affectation, ego, it's almost a pastiche of other singers' styles - if they could just stop TRYING to be cool and let something a bit more They have a long way to go to live up to the praise of these lemming-like critics. I just don't get it - there is something so self-conscious about this music - you can really hear it in the vocal delivery which many times is drenched in affectation, ego, it's almost a pastiche of other singers' styles - if they could just stop TRYING to be cool and let something a bit more pure flow through, they might catch it. And guys, PLEASE lay off all the "ooh-ooh-ooh's" - every other song is just bloody "oooh-oooh-oooh"'s all over the place. it gets boring. I want to like you, I really, really try -I go back to the album every once in a while and after a point I give up - sonically very interesting, and sure, some real standout tracks, but it is still too show-offy, it's not a classic - stopp telling they've made a bloody classic because then they will stop pushing themselves where they need to go - there's so much talent here, just try HARDER.… Expand
  22. KeithG
    Apr 25, 2012
    4
    I applaud the experiment, but like most such projects, the results are mixed at best. Download "Wolf Like Me", "A Method", and "Dirty Whirl" but don't buy the entire album.

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best Album of 2006
15
#15 Most Discussed Album of 2006
59
#59 Most Shared Album of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Blender
    80
    On their lush major-label debut, the haunting Peter Gabriel-esque yawlps of singer Tunde Adebimpbe are punctuated by singer-guitarist Kyp Malone, whose raspy falsetto provides a sense of deadpan panic. [Jul 2006, p.103]
  2. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    A warmer, more linear record than their debut... Spellbinding, frustrating, wonderful.
    Read full review
  3. Spin
    80
    Sitek's layered sonics have grown more immense... and almost none of these songs charts a predictable course. [Jun 2006, p.81]
See all critic reviews »