LogFAQs > #956480005

90. TV on the Radio Wolf Like Me (2006)
from the album Return to Cookie Mountain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1-xRk6llh4

Key lyrics:
Baby doll, I recognize
Youre a hideous thing inside

As I have dived through these favorite songs of mine, a consistent thread has been high audio clarity. No matter the genre, most bands want their listeners to make out the specific sounds. Wolf Like Me exists in murkier water. Each element of this song is mixed closely together, and the guitar feedback adds an element of light static that blurs the line between sounds. In this form, TV on the Radio make it difficult to look at Wolf Like Me as anything but a cohesive whole. This is like an inverted Wall of Sound, using an ever-present noise to reduce the soundscape. Even on the finest speakers, this song refuses to shake the aesthetic of a poorly-tuned radio.

The song beneath this distortion is suitably grimy. The singsong vocals are difficult to discern without close attention, especially with several unusual phrases thrown into the mix. The few lines that can be picked up on with ease paint a lusty picture. More important than the words is their ceaseless delivery, like listening to a madman ramble.

Despite all these noisy layers, Wolf Like Me still falls into a distinct groove. With the guitar playing like white noise, the other elements take a more central part. With our attention forced to the rhythm, this operates as a most unlikely dance song. The bridge is essential, the static momentarily fading while the vocals maintain an uneasy edge. This sets up for an even messier finale as the distortion returns with more intensity. Wolf Like Me plays dirty, a peculiar track that nevertheless keeps pulling me back to parse its bizarre construction.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/