"Storm, cast me out/So I can feel it in another way/Won't talk about" lulls Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio on "Shout Me Out," in the eye of a sonic hurricane on the ninth track of the band's third and latest full length, Dear Science, (comma intended). Amidst the gentle trickle of synthesizer and cloudy drumbeat comes a hushed plea to furtively escape the cold winds, heavy rain, and harsh reality of a world weary from exposure to the elements - disorder, depression, and debilitation - all the while managing to look into dimensions beyond and embrace what surpasses them, what we hold dear.

TV on the Radio has been burning a searing hole in the Alternative scene since hitting the Indie world with their debut EP, Young Liars, in 2003. The Indie press was captivated, and a year later, they released album Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. With a budding fan base and much attention within the confines of their musical world, the band signed with major record label Interscope Records to release their follow-up effort, Return to Cookie Mountain.Cookie Mountain was awarded with effusive kudos from the mainstream music press, landing on many end-of-year rankings including album of the year in SPIN magazine's 2006 culmination.

From the explosive doo-wop meets progressive rock kickstart album opener "Halfway Home" to the exuberant, propulsive sendoff "Lover's Day," Dear Science, is filled to the brim with brilliant, unique gems for the TV on the Radio catalog that stand tall against and exceed previous hits. The album is a thick but coherent singular experience: a textured, noisy, and danceable aural collage juxtaposed against fervent commentary on the times in which we operate and the times we can aspire to create. Attempting to employ a plethora of adjectives, while helpful, is ultimately useless when describing the sound of Dear Science,. With producer/band-mate Andrew Sitek's trademark layered production offering an exorbitant dynamic range, the album is crammed with as much sonic nuance as it is groove. Yes, groove.

Second single "Dancing Choose" employs the band's new found penchant for immediate, danceable groove perfectly. Featuring urgent horns, slinky drums, and rushed, melodically spoken lyrics narrating the tale of a man questioning "...his part in the plan/And he can't understand/Why he's not in command;/The decisions underwritten by the cash in his hand," the song exemplifies the catalyst for the thematic punch Dear Science, packs: confusion.

However, that is but the catalyst. Dear Science, is notably optimistic. This is an understatement. Dear Science, senses opportunity and existence beyond chaos, beyond corruption, beyond exhaustion. Tracks like "Golden Age" and the aforementioned "Lover's Day" look to better times, and pledge to create them rather than build them up into unattainable goals. On the second, Adebimpe sings "Yes here of course there are miracles/A lover that loves that's one/Groomed with the laughter/Ecstatic disaster/Come let's arouse the fun!," asserting knowledge of the cause, belief, and discovery.

See, an album so obviously accessible, so worthy of soundtracking anything from a night at home to an intimate Saturday night house party could never dwell on isolatory desolation. No, Dear Science, is your best friend for the latter: a house guest that both happens to be the life of the party and remembers a box of your favorite pastries. You delight in thoughtful but not pretentious, sincere but not sappy conversation with a topical range as great as the dynamic of the album itself, indulge in some well-deserved treats, and proceed to sweat away the caked on atmosphere of the preceding week, wrought with whatever universal, collective feeling happens to be bearing down upon you. You feel it. Your best friend feels it. It's cathartic. Dear Science, is an album for the individual who likes to think, dance, or nod their heads with the music while gazing at their shoes on the floor below. Dear Science, is an album for friends, acquaintances, guests, fellow citizens of the earth, whatever, that stresses experience and shared emotion. Dear Science, is a letter that answers questions beyond answers, that acknowledges the disarray of our world and proceeds to defy it. Dear Science, is intelligent aspiration. Dear Science, is a masterpiece.