Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Studio album by TV on the Radio
Released	March 9, 2004
Recorded	August–September 2003
Studio	Headgear Studio, Brooklyn
Genre	Avant-pop[1] dark wave experimental[2] post-punk[2]
Length	47:04
Label	Touch and Go, 4AD
Producer	David Andrew Sitek
TV on the Radio chronology
Young Liars (2003) Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004) Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
Singles from Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
"Staring at the Sun" Released: June 28, 2004

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Blender	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A[5]
NME	8/10[6]
The Observer	[1]
Pitchfork	7.8/10 (2004) [7] 9.2/10 (2024)[8]
Q	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Uncut	[11]
The Village Voice	B[12]

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is the 2004 debut album by the American art rock band TV on the Radio. The album was recorded at Headgear Studio in Brooklyn. It was awarded the Shortlist Music Prize for 2004. It was released on CD, 12" vinyl and MP3 download formats. The CD is enhanced with two different quality QuickTime video files of the "Dreams" music video. The 12" features two records with the extra song "You Could Be Love" and a different track order from the CD. The MP3 version includes two extra songs not available on the CD. "Staring at the Sun" has the intro edited from the original version on Young Liars, and is the same version used on the single and video. In 2024, the band and Touch and Go Records commemorated the album's 20th anniversary by re-releasing it as a two-LP set and Bandcamp download, both with bonus tracks.^[13][14]

As of 2009, sales in the United States have exceeded 116,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[15]

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[16]

Track listing

Original release

1. "The Wrong Way" – 4:38
2. "Staring at the Sun" – 3:27
3. "Dreams" – 5:09
4. "King Eternal" – 4:28
5. "Ambulance" – 4:55
6. "Poppy" – 6:07
7. "Don't Love You" – 5:31
8. "Bomb Yourself" – 5:32
9. "Wear You Out" – 7:22

Track on the vinyl and MP3 versions

10. "You Could Be Love"

(The vinyl LP release moves "Staring" to side three, before "You Could Be Love." Side four is an etching.)
Track on the MP3 version

11. "Staring at the Sun" (demo)

20th Anniversary Reissue

1. "The Wrong Way" – 4:38
2. "Dreams" – 5:09
3. "King Eternal" – 4:27
4. "Ambulance" – 4:54
5. "Poppy" – 6:07
6. "Don't Love You" – 5:31
7. "Bomb Yourself" – 5:31
8. "Wear You Out" – 7:20
9. "Staring at the Sun" – 3:26
10. "You Could Be Love" - 7:16
11. "Staring at the Sun" (demo) - 6:13
12. "New Health Rock" - 4:01
13. "Modern Romance" - 4:09
14. "Final Fantasy" - 3:14
15. "Dry Drunk Emperor" - 6:47

12-13 are remastered, and originally from the "New Health Rock" single. 14 is a previously unreleased early demo of the song which became "Bomb Yourself." 15 was originally released as a free download in 2005.

Personnel

• Tunde Adebimpe – vocals, loops
• Kyp Malone – vocals, guitars, loops
• David Andrew Sitek – music, guitars, keys, loops
• Martin Perna – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, flutes

Charts

Chart performance for Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Chart (2004)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)[17]	190

References

1. Boden, Sarah (May 23, 2004). "TV on the radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". The Observer. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
2. Phares, Heather. "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes – TV on the Radio". AllMusic. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
3. "Reviews for Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes by TV on the Radio". Metacritic. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
4. Wolk, Douglas (April 2004). "TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". Blender (25): 138. Archived from the original on November 18, 2004. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
5. Hermes, Will (March 19, 2004). "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
6. "TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". NME: 55. June 5, 2004.
7. Dahlen, Chris (March 7, 2004). "TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
8. Garner, Sadie (November 18, 2024). "TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (20th Anniversary Edition)". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
9. "TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". Q (216): 124. July 2004.
10. Caramanica, Jon (March 18, 2004). "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes : TV On The Radio". Rolling Stone. No. 944. Archived from the original on February 22, 2005. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
11. "TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". Uncut (86): 100. July 2004.
12. Christgau, Robert (September 14, 2004). "Consumer Guide: Inter-Century Freundschaft". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
13. "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (20th Anniversary Edition)". Touch and Go Records. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
14. "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (20th Anniversary Edition)". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
15. "Economic downturn claims Chicago indie label - Reuters". Reuters. 21 February 2009.
16. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
17. "Lescharts.com – TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2022.

External links

• Touch and Go release page