Accordingly, Seeds reflects a band unconcerned with challenging its listeners this time and more interested in delivering a complete collection of competent, mark-bearing songs for the sake of proudly stating the existence of TV On The Radio in 2014. This means familiar roles for all members, roles they embrace even if there’s nothing new about them.
…Seeds clearly doesn’t possess the level of obsession invested in TV On The Radio’s two hallmark LPs, Return To Cookie Mountain and Dear Science, and Adebimpe has said as much upfront.
…Each song is singular, simply composed but well finished, harboring few surprises. Any one of them could be the single.
Seeds won’t go down as an essential or even particularly consummate TV On The Radio album, but it could very well fare better than others have on the charts, something that would be an appropriate, perfectly timed reward.
All this backhanded, butt-hurty complimenting in a record review that gives them a “C” grade. Yeah, what a letdown that they merely offered a collection of great songs by anyone’s standards, rather than musically reinventing the wheel in a way that would flatter the cleverness of certain listeners who truly get it, man. Pfft. Motherfucker’s lost his GOT-damn mind, that’s what I say. It’ll be days before I finally stop listening to this record. Favorite release this year, hands down.