Tune in Tokyo: New Tune Tuesdays

The new TVOTR drops today. Constable Bacon introduced me to this quintet by way of tickets to their 2006 show. Not knowing who they were (at the time) and not wanting to be one of those people that attend a show without prior knowledge of a band, I went and listened to their album of that fall.

to say i've had my hand in the "cookie" jar ever since is an understatement (and I apologize profusely for the extremely bad pun). Hearing that song, that fall/winter everywhere, didn't hurt much either.

But beyond the atmospheric melodies and ground-grumbling basslines; beyond the falsetto vocals that merge seamlessy with post-punk sensibilties, lies lead singer Tunde Adebimpe's ability to write insanely fecund lyrics.

Taken from "Young Liars" (one of TVOTR's ultimate...):

well it's cold and it's quiet
and cobblestone cold in here
fucking for fear of not wanting
to fear again
lonely is all we are
lovely so far
but my heart's still a marble
in an empty jelly jar

(followed by)

someday suppose that my
curious nervousness
spills into prescience
clairvoyant consciousness (oh my christ)
i will be calmer than cream
making maps out of your dreams

(FOLLOWED by)

but will psychic ability
clinch the nativity
or simply diminish the flinch...

This is not a grammar/linguistics lesson and i'm not even going to attempt to identify the various literary techniques present, but seriously? C'mon... what normal person possesses the ability to pen such things??

Which is exactly why TVOTR are not normal (phew)...

Which is exactly why you should give them a little (okay, a lot) of your undivided attention...

The new album. Seriously.