Maximum Balloon

One of my favorite albums from 2008 is definitely TV on the Radio's Dear Science.  TVOTR make the kind of arty, funky electro pop I live for, and Dear Science is their masterpiece. (Some might argue that their previous album Return to Cookie Mountain is their best work, and I wouldn't kill them for it, but I would disagree). 

The band went on a (hopefully) brief hiatus after touring for that record, and the individual members are pursuing various projects in the meantime.  Guitarist/singer Kyp Malone has his group Rain Machine. Vocalist Tunde Adebimpe sang on a Massive Attack track, and he acted in the Anne Hathaway movie Rachel Getting Married (WTF?).

Then there's guitarist + producer Dave Sitek.  Sitek could probably just work as a full-time producer during the break (he's produced records for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars and...Scarlett Johansson, as well as TVOTR), but apparently that's not good enough.  Now he's got his own project called Maximum Balloon.

Sitek ain't about to start singing though.  No, this is a Santana type project, with a different vocalist on each track.  His bandmates Kyp and Tunde each make one appearance each, as do Karen O and David Byrne.  Then there's some people I've never heard of (Theophilus London, Aku), but their tracks sound cool.  I expect the whole record to be top notch, frankly.

Maximum Balloon drops September 26.  Here's the tracklisting:

1. Groove Me (feat. Theophilus London)

2. Young Love (feat. Katrina Ford)

3. Absence of Light (feat. Tunde Adebimpe)

4. If You Return (feat. Little Dragon)

5. Shakedown (feat. Kyp Malone)

6. Communion (feat. Karen O)

7. Tiger (feat. Aku)

8. The Lesson (feat. Holly Miranda)

9. Apartment Wrestling (feat. David Byrne)

10. Pink Bricks (feat. Ambrosia Parsley)