I have a tendency of discovering bands accidentally. The Radio Dept. was one that I stumbled upon a couple of years ago, while I was temporarily leading a rather dreary existence in California. An indie pop group from Sweden, I managed to get my hands on their albums, Lesser Matters and Pet Grief, both of which contain the same brand of mellow indie that I’ve come to expect from this band. They, along with other various bands, were on constant repeat due to my “Alone in San Francisco” mix.

The reason why I love The Radio Dept. so much is because they lean more towards a soft and sweet sound. Songs like “It’s Been Eight Years” are able to sound sad without getting too mopey. Some songs are upbeat enough to tap your foot along to (“Where Damage Isn’t Already Done”) and others you’ll be perfectly content lying around in bed listening to (“Pulling Our Weight”).

Their upcoming album, Clinging to a Scheme, was scheduled to be released on Sept. 10th but has been delayed. Their first single off the new record, “Freddie and the Trojan Horse”, can be listened to on the band’s official MySpace page. While not a complete departure from their first two albums, the new song has surprising political undertones in the lyrics (Freddie refers to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt).

So until their new music is finally released (and eventually makes its way to the US), please have a listen to one of my favorite songs from the Pulling Our Weight EP, “I Don’t Need Love, I’ve Got My Band”.

MP3> The Radio Dept. ‘I Don’t Need Love, I’ve Got My Band’

MP3> The Radio Dept. ‘Freddie and The Trojan Horse’

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14th, 2008 at 11:02 am and is filed under mp3's, recommended.