Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TVOTR is a highly original group from Brooklyn, NY characterized by vocals that range from crazily high-pitched to group chanting and a pop-based sound that’s rampantly experimental but always melodic. Unlike their school-of-’78-in-’04 peers such asthe RaptureandInterpol, TVOTR’s music is as rooted in blues, free jazz and gospel as it is thepost-punk canonor contemporary electronic music. This makesDesperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babesfar more interesting, naturally; the purely vocal "Ambulance" is novel and exciting as anything byBjörk,Spongehead ExperienceorPere Ubu. With lyrics that impressively, and un-preachingly, tackle issues of race and war, this finalist for 2004’s Shortlist Competition easily ranks among the best albums of that year.--Mike McGonigal