TV On The Radio @ ABC

Salvation is often found unexpectedly. And in TV On The Radio, tonight's iniquitous crowd discovers a liberating ray of light amidst a spectrum of avant-garde jazz and distorted funk freak outs. More gregarious than the caustic abrasiveness of Return To Cookie Mountain, the New York ensemble displays a penchant for striding, muscular riffs and tribal drum-loops without restraining their exhilarating sonic discord. Front-man Tunde Adebimpe piously preaches with the presence of a frenzied Gil Scott-Heron, transforming 'Method' into a gravel pit of stripped down gospel blues. The rugged trajectory of 'Wolf Like Me' sears full throttle into the heart of the enraptured disciples before alleviating any limb-flailing induced lacerations with 'Let The Devil In's sinuous shamanism. Closing with 'Staring At The Sun', the band takes one final step towards a higher plateau - leaving the ABC's sinners sensorially impaired and spiritually redeemed. [Billy Hamilton]