TV on the Radio

TV on the Radio became titans of the mid-2000s indie-rock crossover era through their daring stylistic hybrids and anti-establishment messaging. Led by Tunde Adebimpe, Dave Sitek, and Kyp Malone, the Brooklyn band developed a singular mix of electronic and rock sonics and energetic live performances in the early 2000s. The 2003 EP Young Liars put the group on the map in indie circles, featuring several of TVOTR’s most devastating and enduring tracks (“Young Liars,” “Staring at the Sun”). Its 2004 follow-up, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, was populated with sociologically charged anthems whose influences included post-punk, experimental electronica, gospel, and jazz. The group’s vaunted major-label debut, 2006’s Return To Cookie Mountain, made it the rock band of the moment, leading to sleeker, poppier ventures with the similarly ambitious Dear Science in 2008. Successive albums cemented TVOTR’s reputation for conceptual ambition and vanguard production, as on 2011’s Nine Types of Light and 2014’s Seeds.