The Radio Dept. - Lesser Matters [2003]

Genre: Electronica, Shoegazing, Indie Pop, Twee Pop, Dream Pop


My opinion & thought: A refreshing & brilliant debut album by Sweddish Twee Pop/Shoegazing group, The Radio Dept. Sounds comforting & relaxing while listening to it. A best album choice to release stress after a long hard day of work.

Stands out track(s): Where Damage Isn't Already Done



The Radio Dept. is an indie pop band from Lund, Sweden. The band was conceived in 1995 by schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson, who named the group after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (The Radio Department in Swedish). However, Almered and Duncanson soon stopped playing music together, putting the band on hiatus. The group was reborn three years later, in 1998, when Duncanson starting making music with Martin Larsson. In 2001, Larsson's then girlfriend Lisa Carlberg joined the group onbass, followed by Per Blomgren on drums and Daniel Tjader on keyboards.

Later in 2001, the band sent recordings to music magazine Sonic, receiving a positive review and being featured on the free CD sampler that came with the magazine. Labrador Records heard them on the disc and signed them to their label. Per Blomgren left the group prior to the release of their album Lesser Matters and Lisa Carlberg departed after the release of This Past Week EP. According to their website, the band decided to use digital drum tracks and stated that for their second album they were "taking a new direction ... which wouldn't require a member that played bass guitar."

The group enjoyed more widespread recognition after three tracks ("Pulling Our Weight" from the Pulling Our Weight EP, "I Don't Like It Like This" from the This Past Week EP, and "Keen on Boys" from Lesser Matters) were included on the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette.

Lesser Matters is the 2003 debut of Swedish pop group The Radio Dept. It ranked No. 9 on NME's list of the 50 Best Albums of 2004. It received favorable reviews fromUNCUT, Mojo and Q Magazine with a rating of 84/100 on Metacritic.

The song "Keen on Boys" was featured in Sofia Coppola's adaptation of Marie Antoinette, appearing also on the soundtrack to the film.


Sound:

The Radio Dept. are related to such genres as Dream pop, Indie pop, Shoegaze and Twee Pop, with reviews comparing them to Pet Shop Boys, My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau Twins.

On their website, they cite influences such as Charles Aznavour, Saint Etienne, Broadcast, Frank Sinatra, Joy Division, Pet Shop Boys, Chet Baker, Fennesz, Nick Drake, Kevin Rowland, Prefab Sprout, Paddy McAloon, Junior Boys, Orange Juice, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Jonathan Richman, The Avalanches and The Pale Fountains.


Tracklisting:

  • "Too Soon" – 1:17
  • "Where Damage Isn't Already Done" – 2:43
  • "Keen on Boys" – 4:53
  • "Why Won't You Talk About It?" – 3:08
  • "It's Been Eight Years" – 2:33
  • "Bus" – 2:58
  • "Slottet #2" – 3:07
  • "1995" – 3:11
  • "Against the Tide" – 4:23
  • "Strange Things Will Happen" – 4:24
  • "Your Father" – 4:01
  • "Ewan" – 2:23
  • "Lost and Found" – 4:09

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