I have to admit I didn’t think much of the singles from TV on the Radio’s fifth studio album “Seeds” on first listen.

“Happy Idiot” didn’t meet my dance-worthy expectations of songs like “Dancing Choose,” and “Careful You” couldn’t match the pulsating heights of “Wolf Like Me.”

But then I listened to “Seeds” all the way through. When listened to it in sequence, there’s something about the album TV on the Radio’s prior albums lack — mainly a certain level of openness and honesty.

That’s fitting, since the album is the first since bassist Gerard Smith died in 2011 of lung cancer at age 36, but the rest of the band — lead singer Tunde Adebimpe, backing singer and guitarist Kyp Malone, lead guitarist and producer David Sitek and drummer Jaleel Bunton — found new voice on “Seeds”

“We’ve been through a lot of stuff in the past few years that could have stopped the band cold, but I’m glad we got it together and took stock of the unique connection we have between each other because the record is, 1,000 percent, without a doubt, the best thing we’ve ever done,” Adebimpe said in a press release.

The band doesn’t focus its efforts on mortality or dark themes in the wake of Smith’s death. Instead, the band turns to a bright album that focuses on themes of love and relationships, which unifies the tracks into what stands as the one of the band’s best collective albums. However, the album doesn’t overdo the concept like some albums.

“Seeds” plays with a maturity that shows a band rediscovering a new creative spark; however, it’s a different creative spark than on albums like “Return to Cookie Mountain” (2006) and “Dear Science” (2008).

Some have criticized “Seeds” for simplifying the multi-layered approach of those previous albums.

From the opening track, “Quartz,” it’s clear that the band is going for a more subtle, ofter hummable style that brings the lyrics to the forefront.

On “Happy Idiot” and “Lazzerray,” the band implements a more guitar-driven approach that sets aside some of the synthesizers and programming that took TV on the Radio to “art rock” levels on past albums.

While all the songs on “Seeds” stand strong on their own, it’s true that none reach the feverish heights of songs like “No Future Shock” or “Repetition” from the band’s prior album “Nine Types of Light” (2011). For bands, repetition is not necessarily good.

Despite boasting arguably catchier standalone songs, “Nine Types of Light” felt a bit out of joint or out of order.

“Seeds” is impeccably produced, thriving more on maturity, intricacy and a honed, unified vision. Much of that is at least partially due to Sitek, who has produced TV on the Radio and bands like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The precision with which “Careful You” is layered and put together is astonishing, but Sitek and the group make it look easy.

Songs like “Trouble” seem shockingly simple when compared to the delightful controlled chaos of past tracks “Crying” and “Wash the Day.”

Naysayers have criticized it as a mainstream turn, but that’s probably for lack of exposure. Listen to the album a few times; it’s infectious. It’s an album meant to be listened to in order and as a whole.

Is “Seeds” different that the band’s previous work? Yes, but that’s a good thing. It sounds like a band triumphant after overcoming difficult times. Personally, it’s my favorite album of 2014 so far.