TV on the Radio

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio merged a variety of styles, including soul, doo-wop, funk and gospel with alternative rock to create their critically-acclaimed second album, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch and Go Records). With its fuzzy guitars, scratchy electronic sounds and exquisite harmonies, the album is beautiful and arty. With its biting social commentary, it is also cerebral and challenging. In an era flooded by garage rock and highly-produced pop, their singular sound earned them the coveted Shortlist Music Prize in 2004 for "the most adventurous and creative album of the year across all genres of music." —JM