Tag: The Radio Dept.

Categories
Playlists

Playlist: May (or May not)

It’s been quite a while since I’ve put together and shared one of these playlists on here. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I purposely put together a mix of any sort, even for myself, for my own consumption. I typically just press shuffle on a massive collection I have on Apple Music of some of my favourite songs and go with whatever Apple puts forward. And yeah, of course, it’s always good. However, I felt inspired this week, even as I recover from a nasty spring cold, and decided a new mix was in order.

The inspiration? This winter felt very, very long to me, even longer than normal. December and January actually feel like a complete void to me because of the health issues I was experiencing at the time and then February got cold, real cold, and we received dumping after dumping of snow. March was a mixed bag weather-wise and April seems to have been unseasonably cold and rainy*. Things finally felt like they turned the corner when the calendar was flipped to May last week, even though I haven’t necessarily felt well enough to get outside to enjoy it just yet. The sun has been out, brightening everything and warming everything up. I’ve heard the chirping of birds every morning, the grass on the ground is coming in green and the trees lining my street are starting to bud. All of this has cheered me considerably and has me hoping for good things for the rest of the year.

So I wanted to put together some tunes that reflect this feeling. You know? A collection of the kind of songs that just scream sunshine and flowers. A melody that brings a smile to your face and lyrics that beg to be sung along with. Tunes that perk you up from the very first notes and have you wanting to get up and dance, wherever you are, whoever you’re with.

Many of these songs are old favourites (like “Lay back in the sun”, “Everything you’ve done wrong”, and “Movin’ on up”) and have appeared on many of my mixes over the years, some of which may have already appeared on playlists on this site. Some of these songs are newer ‘classics’ (like “Weighty ghost” and “Dreaming of you”) and some are even brand new tunes that I can’t seem to loosen from my head when the mood takes (like “Somebody new” and “Simmering”).

I’ve kept the playlist to twenty-five songs to keep it from being unwieldy but there were many more that I could have added. Perhaps there will be a volume two to share if the summer turns out to be as positive as I’m hoping it will be and if the mood takes me to make another mix to share so soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this collection of songs as much I’ve enjoyed putting it together and that you play them on repeat like I’ve been doing this week. Perhaps they’ll bring the same wide smile that I’ve had on at times while listening. I sincerely hope so.

For those who don’t use Apple Music, here is the entire playlist, with links to YouTube videos:

1. Spiritualized “Lay back in the sun”
2. Bedouin Soundclash “When the night feels my song”
3. The Waterboys “Glastonbury song”
4. The Cure “Friday I’m in love”
5. The Submarines “You me and the bourgeoisie”
6. The Verve “Bitter sweet symphony”
7. Real Estate “Somebody new”
8. Wintersleep “Weighty ghost”
9. Sloan “Everything you’ve done wrong”
10. Pixies “Here comes your man”
11. The Coral “Dreaming of you”
12. Suede “Beautiful ones”
13. Luna “California (all the way)”
14. Doves “Catch the sun”
15. Violent Femmes “Blister in the sun”
16. Allo Darlin’ “We come from the same place”
17. Primal Scream “Movin’ on up”
18. Morrissey “Sing your life”
19. Belle & Sebastian “The boy with the arab strap”
20. The Radio Dept. “This time around”
21. Young Galaxy “We have everything”
22. Blind Melon “No rain”
23. Pale Blue Eyes “Simmering”
24. The Clientele “Bookshop Casanova”
25. The High Dials “Our time is coming soon”

And here is the promised link to the Apple Music playlist.

*Yeah, I know, April is known to be rainy… but still…

If you’re interested in checking out any of the other playlists I’ve created and shared on these pages, you can peruse them here.

Categories
Albums

Best albums of 2010: #4 The Radio Dept. “Clinging to a scheme”

A hearty welcome this morning as we delve ever deeper towards my favourite album of 2010, with this my number four album, “Clinging to a scheme” by The Radio Dept. To those religious sorts out there, pardon the blasphemy of this statement but… Holy god! This album blew my mind on first listen (which really should tell you lots about albums three through one on this list).

At the time, I had not heard one iota about The Radio Dept. and now thirteen years later, I couldn’t even tell you how they ever crossed my radar. I do remember, however, that after realizing that “Clinging to a scheme” was the Swedish indie rock band’s third album, I immediately dove into their back catalogue to see from whence this glorious sound developed. There were only these two other full-length albums to speak of, their releases spread liberally from 2003 to 2010, as if they only really recorded when the mood took them. A foreign concept, for sure, but one that seems to work for them, since 2003’s “Lesser matters” and 2006’s “Pet grief” are both really solid records.

The idea of the band and its name had roots in music made by friends Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson in Lund, Sweden, way back in 1995. This partnership was short-lived, however, and when Duncanson continued making music with others three years later, he did so using the same moniker. Nowadays, the lineup seems focused around the core of Duncanson, Martin Larsson, and Daniel Tjäder. And I say ‘nowadays’ but really, they’ve continued the trend of sporadic releases: a 2011 compilation album called “Passive aggressive”, a full-length in 2016 titled “Running out of love” and a handful of EPs and singles peppered in between.

But let’s get back to “Clinging to a scheme”, shall we?

As I already mentioned above, this particular music fan’s mind was blown on the first listen to said album. All of its elements – the droning, reverb-laden guitar work, the slacker vocals, the Madchester rhythms, the seemingly random samples – all called to mind the music I listened to in the early 90s but were updated enough in all to sound fresh. In its ten tracks, I heard a bit of Ride, some Chapterhouse (very early Chapterhouse), and yes, The Stone Roses. So of course, I would find the music appealing. But there’s something more here. Perhaps it’s an innocence or maybe just an apathy towards everything outside the musicians’ collective spheres. When listening to it, especially on earphones, the music becomes like a force field against all the evils of the outside world. It is beautifully dreamy, like a massage for the soul or a metaphysical drug on par with soma.

Speaking of drugs, have you had a look at the album’s cover? What exactly is that young fella doing? I don’t know if the band condones drug use or if this is a statement of some sort or perhaps I’m reading it all wrong and it’s simply tobacco. Either way, I could see the psychedelic nature of the music lending itself to further enjoyment with the use of recreational drugs… if you were into the type if thing. And if not, do like I do: turn it up loud, close your eyes, let the rhythm rip through you, and just float lazily on its airy melodies.

To start you on your journey, here’s my three picks for you, just a sample of the 10 great tracks from the album:

“Never follow suit”: Like most of the songs on “Clinging to a scheme”, the beat is danceable but on track four, it’s also slow and meandering. There’s a hint of reggae or dub in its aesthetic, digitized spasms mimicking steel drum explosions, and the keyboard riffs add to this feeling of aimless wandering, like it’s the journey and not the destination, and never caring if you get lost. In the middle of the track, we get an interlude, a sampling from a mid-80s documentary, an esoteric easter egg that I might never have hunted down if it didn’t tickle my brain so.

“Heaven’s on fire”: This one starts with a sample of a Thurston Moore ramble on youth culture and big business, making you think it might get social or political (or socio-political), and then, that beat kicks in and pretty much all of that is forgotten… You could read into the lyrics that Johan Duncanson is expressing his distaste for big music and couching it in a sweet sounding indie pop song that courts mainstream in an offhand way. “We’re outnumbered by those who take no pride in constantly moving against the tide.” But it could just as easily be about a strong dislike for some other person and a kiss off on the way to the dance floor. Either way, I makes me happy whenever I listen to it.

“This time around”: And just listen to this track! Do I really need to explain why it is so great? When I counted down my favourite tunes of 2010, it came in at number four, not a bad result at all for a song that it wasn’t even released as a single. In that post, I waxed poetically about The Charlatans because it felt to me that “This time around” sounded pulled out of the same gene pool as the rest of the great tracks on “Some friendly”. But it’s also Chapterhouse exuberance set against a drum beat that might make Reni of The Stone Roses blush. Whenever I listen to it, I feel like I want to explode into a frantic dance à la Keith Flint or Bez. But enough of the name drops. Let’s go let go!

Stay tuned for album #3. In the meantime, here are the previous albums in this list:

10. Diamond Rings “Special affections”
9. Bedouin Soundclash “Light the horizon”
8. LCD Soundsystem “This is happening”
7. The Drums “The Drums”
6. The New Pornographers “Together”
5. Stars “The five ghosts”

You can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.

Categories
Tunes

Best tunes of 2010: #4 The Radio Dept. “This time around”

<< #5    |    #3 >>

For years and years and years, my good (old) friends and I have gone fall camping in Algonquin Park. We originally picked the fall, rather than the crazed, busy summer, so that it would be quieter, despite the fact that once we got drinking, we were often the loudest in the park. Over the years, it has gotten busier deeper into the season and we’ve had to push our date further, from early October to early November. And yes, we’ve had some really cold nights and often get snow, but we’ve learned a thing or two over the years and as our salaries have increased, we’ve invested in better gear. Our conversations around the usually massive campfire are never very deep. We catch up, relive stories, laugh, and talk movies and, of course, music.

One such trip, many, many, many years ago now, my friend Tim famously brought up an article he had read on The Charlatans (UK, for those of us in North America). Whoever had written the article suggested that though they survived the longest of their contemporaries, they were no one’s favourite band. Our friend Tim, emboldened by multiple beers, brashly went further, suggesting that they might not have had any lasting influence and that a few years after they stopped producing music, they might be forgotten altogether. There were raised voices and indignation, and I was amongst the two or three that disagreed with him. It has become a running joke ever since with Tim facetiously asking “Who?” whenever the band comes up in conversation.

Fast forward to 2010, I don’t know how many years later, and I am on bus, commuting home from work. I am perusing the latest album by this Swedish band I had just came across and something clicks. These guys may not be directly influenced by but they certainly sounded a lot like The Charlatans on their debut album, “Some friendly”!

The Radio Dept. formed in Lund, Sweden in the late 1990s and adopted a dream pop sound with an often danceable edge. “This time around” is track three off their third album, “Clinging to a scheme”. It was never released as a single but easily could’ve been. It is infectious beats, airy, laser show guitars, and lazy vocals, albeit fattened with effects, sounding so much like a young Tim Burgess. The major difference that is most obvious to me is that in the case of The Radio Dept., the lyrics are intelligible, and are often politically charged.

“You feel old like the fight
Learning new ways to be right
And how to cope with disloyalty
It’s not a song
That will prove them wrong
This time around.”

Enjoy! And to all you Charlies fans, let me know if I am crazy or not. You can hear it too, right?

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2010 list, click here.