It's been a long time since I've gotten excited about a band. Thinking back, the last bands I was truly enthralled with were Queens of the Stone Age and Turbonegro. I think that was about four or five years ago, back when we lived in Tampa.
Now that I think about it, this large gap has got to be a sure sign that I'm a "grump" (from the Star Trek episode, Miri). I'm sure there are plenty of great bands out there that I've yet to discover and that I'd be completely into. It's just that now I've apparently drifted a bit out of the loop.
Anyway...
So who's this incredible band that has captured my ear?
TV on the Radio (TVotR).
When you read the first paragraph about them on Wikipedia you're going to think that I've lost my mind. But trust me, the "genre-span" that they've used to describe them doesn't begin to do their music justice.
So, what do I like about 'em? Incredibly poetic lyrics, and a style that somehow manages to blend noise (almost white noise) and ambient sound without sounding noisy and too focused on ambience. In addition, the vocals, at least to me, sound more like an integral instrument in the band - so much so that the lyrics don't quite register at a conscious level.
I don't want to turn this into a review, but if you have the opportunity, give a few tracks off their latest album, Return to Cookie Mountain a breif listen and let me know what you think.