There might be no other rock act more emblematic of First Avenue's 38-year history than TV on the Radio, which kicked off a two-night stand Monday at the landmark club.
Out supporting its third full-length album, "Dear Science," the Brooklyn-reared quintet reminded a genuinely awed crowd of 1,400 fans why it's one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the past half-decade. One big reason is its innovative and unlikely mish-mash of styles and influences, all of which have featured prominently in First Ave's storied history.
With its two falsetto-armed singers, TVOTR frequently and fervently channeled First Ave's most famous homeboy, Prince, starting with the early show highlights "Golden Age" and "Crying."
Its frantic bursts and frazzled guitar sounds, meanwhile, also echoed the noisy post-punk bands that frequented the club in the '80s, such as Hüsker Dü and Sonic Youth. Throw in some of the jazzy indie-rap and electronic digi-rock of recent years -- and don't mention TVOTR's previous appearances at the club -- and the band seemed right at home.
If that bold mixture sounds too forced and high-concept, the most impressive thing about Monday's 90-minute set was actually its cohesiveness, and how well it all came together, like a highly trained symphony born out of a grimy warehouse. The songs flowed as one long river, with calm moments leading to rapids, all crashing into the occasional waterfall.
One of the most fluid parts came when the atmospheric rocker "Halfway Home" -- which opens the new album -- built and built to a stormy finale and then bled straight into the all-adrenaline mad opus "Wolf Like Me." During its encore, the band broke down the momentum by playing "A Method" on percussion instruments (cymbal, cowbell, wood block). That was only a breather before the roaring finale, "Staring at the Sun."
A newly added saxophonist/flutist and female singer helped flesh out the band's complex sound. The sax played a key, mood-defining role in "Golden Age" and several other new songs, while the three-vocalist attack in "Let the Devil In" sounded godly powerful.
In fact, the show was so impressive that TVOTR is likely to graduate to theaters or bigger venues its next time through town. But there's no forgetting where it came from.
