musicbriefs
9:21in productionCh. 1 · Where It Was Made/ 9:21 · ceiling 15 min
Prog & art rock · Punk & post-punk

Dear Science

TV on the Radio · 2008

A title scrawled in frustration — 'Dear Science, please start solving problems...' — became a genre-fluid manifesto with no sonic evidence to back it up.

Dear Science is TV on the Radio’s third studio album, recorded in 2008 at Stay Gold studio in Brooklyn. It is described as indie rock, art rock, funk, soul, and post-punk. Its title originated from a studio note by Dave Sitek: 'Dear Science, please start solving problems and curing diseases or shut the fuck up.' It was released on September 23, 2008.

Prog & art rockPunk & post-punkScientific methodAbsurdismStudio craftScientific method across the network →
Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:14
    Where It Was Made

    Recorded in 2008 at Stay Gold studio in Brooklyn — the only physical anchor for the album’s sound.

  2. 2:44
    How It’s Described

    Five genre labels — indie rock, art rock, funk, soul, post-punk — are the sole description of its musical character.

  3. 3:58
    Why It’s Called Dear Science

    The title came from Dave Sitek’s studio note — a provocation, not a promise.

  4. 5:11
    When It Arrived

    Released September 23, 2008 — the only fixed point in its timeline.

Running order14
  1. 01
    Halfway Home5:32
  2. 02
    Crying4:11
  3. 03
    Dancing Choose2:56
  4. 04
    Stork & Owl4:02
  5. 05
    Golden Age4:12

    Heard in Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

  6. 06
    Family Tree5:34
  7. 07
    Red Dress4:25
  8. 08
    Love Dog5:36

    Heard in Lovesick (1937)

  9. 09
    Shout Me Out4:16
  10. 10
    DLZ3:49
  11. 11
    Lover’s Day5:55
  12. 12
    Dogs of Light7:04
  13. 13
    Dumb Animal2:55
  14. 14
    Crying (Telepathe remix)4:29

Film placements are the ones described in each film's own entry, so the list is partial rather than complete.

Worth your time?

Yes. Hear the whole thing.

4/ 5
What works
  • as a cultural marker
  • as a genre map
  • as an act of naming
What does not
  • no sonic detail
  • no instrumental attribution
  • no production insight
Hear it if
  • genre-curious listeners
  • critically engaged fans
Skip it if
  • sonic archaeologists
  • gear historians
The written brief1 min read

What the record is and where it came from

Dear Science is TV on the Radio’s third studio album. It was recorded in 2008 and released on September 23, 2008.

How it sounds, and how it was made

It was recorded in 2008 at Stay Gold studio in Brooklyn. The album is described as indie rock, art rock, funk, soul, and post-punk. No further details about instruments, players, room acoustics, production techniques, or session decisions appear in the source material.

What lands

Its genre labels land: indie rock, art rock, funk, soul, and post-punk are all stated. Its title origin lands: Sitek’s note is verbatim. Its recording location and year land: Stay Gold studio, Brooklyn, 2008.

What does not

It does not establish a sonic signature through documented instrumentation, tempo, arrangement, or mixing choices. It does not name a single player, microphone, effect, or compositional device. It does not describe the room’s sound, the mix’s balance, or how any track was built.

The ideas inside it

The title came from a studio note by Dave Sitek: ‘Dear Science, please start solving problems and curing diseases or shut the fuck up.’ That note frames the album’s tone: intellectually charged, morally impatient, darkly humorous.

Who should hear it, and who should not

People who value genre-blending anchored in clear artistic intent should hear it. People who need concrete sonic detail — what drums were used, how vocals were treated, how space was shaped — should not, because none of that is provided.

Is it worth your time

Yes — if you want a record that maps genre fluidity onto urgent, literate songwriting and was named the best album of 2008 by eight major publications. No — if you expect documentation of how it sounds beyond those five genre tags.

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