Customer Reviews

Clinging To A Scheme

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like the alums before it (Pet Grief and Lesser Matters) The Radio Dept. Sound is solidly set in Dream Pop aesthetic and that is just fine. They make great dream pop, songs that are airy and light that boom with the occasional bass drum beat. but otherwise very calm and soothing. And to match sound with style, The Radio Dept., continues to contrast that sound with lyrics that harbor regret and ennui. But whether your a beat person or a lyric person, The Radio Dept have crafted an album worth buying.

As artists can take as long as they want to produce an excellent ALBUM.

ALL GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME!

One of the things that I really love of "THE RADIO DEPT." is that each song is able to immerse yourself in a particular atmosphere, I think that is the subject of music in general (in my personal opinion), that makes us feel happy or sad, for it depends on you transmit the content, that makes you think and also make us vibrate inside.

I fell in love with "RADIO DEPT." since I first heard that, I have enormous respect for his work, to handle creative freedom in their work, and most importantly they are committed to a particular discourse.

As with their previous two releases, each song is separated and distinguishable by subtle hooks and catchy riffs while maintaining the mystery that defines a Radio Dept song. Clinging To A Scheme seems to be looking ahead which I can only guess is due to the band getting older and growing up. Songs like Domestic Scene, Memory Loss, and Heaven's On Fire show me that the band is no longer concerned with 1995 and what happened 8 years ago (Its Been Eight Years). Where Lesser Matters (2003) was filled with a lot of discovery and coming of age, CLINGING TO A SCHEME seems to be past all that. Providing commentaries on big business and getting political are things we do when we get older and look around our environment. We all have regrets about lost loves and the hastey youthfull decisions we made.

At some point we need to accept who and what we have become and just say screw it. I think that this is the place that The Radio Dept is coming from in 2010.

Highly recommended, leave behind prejudices, listen to music without any kind of preconceived judgments.

Enjoy!!!

So if the world is coming to an end in 2012 as the Maya predicted, or whatever, a whole boatload of brilliant artists picked an excellent year to drop excellent albums for us to enjoy on our way to doomsday: Hot Chip, Los Campesinos!, Eluvium, the National, Broken Social Scene, Band of Horses, Caribou, Delorean, the Depreciation Guild, and so on and so forth. Add the Radio Dept. to that list at this point. Clinging to a Scheme is a lush, beautiful little dream pop gem, blending the heavier shoegaze style of their earlier works with a vibrant new sound. The instrumentation recalls classic albums from artists like Cocteau Twins and Lush, and this record is a MUST HAVE for any dream pop fan. Pacing is excellent, and the band save some of the best songs for the middle an end, but with no drought of excellent songwriting from the get-go. The spoken-word excerpt courtesy of Thurstoon Moore at the end of the first track is great for illuminating the goal of this album: "we should destroy the bogus capitalist process that is destroying youth culture." And the Radio Dept. are nothing if not the exact opposite of the kind of cookie-cutter garbage you'll find on modern pop and rock radio. Another great album for 2010. The year only gets better and better.

Radio Dept. hit a home run with this album. It Airy and clings to certain pattern of sounds that makes the album something that alot of people look for. The opening song leading into heavens on fire immediataly caught my attention. With the opening of heavens on fire stating a little thing about "The youth being capitlized by music industries", it gives you an idea for what these guys are shooting for with there sound. But lets not forget that this is also a "Fun" album to listen too. "Never follow Suit" is just a solid groove of a song. Every song on this album has something to offer. With alot of big name bands coming out with albums in 2010 I believe these guys will be on the top of some of us music lovers list.

First Impression songs: Opening tracks "Domestic Scene into "Heavens on Fire"

Slow growers: "A token of graditude"

Wow! After you catch a glimple of the cover art where a gut is taking a huge hit off a pipe with smoke rolling outta his ears, it stirs interest what The Radio Department is up to! What is delivered is a great album, interspersed with shifts in songs, lyrics, and melodies that are a smoothly blended and well concieved. So go ahead and take a huge toke of Radio Dept. it all sounds good to me.

I arrived here by accident, searching for artists that sound like Curve. Um, almost not at all... nevertheless, it was a super pleasant surprise. 4th track is the best, followed closely by every other track.

Great album from start to finish. I could listen to it over and over.

Such an amazing CD. So unique and beautiful I really cannot compare it to anything else. Johan's voice is so fitting to the music which is a little dreamy, kind of sad at times and joyful at others. Definitely buy this CD, I also recommend their other two CD's Pet Grief and Lesser Matters, both are just as good.

As a hardcore fan of 'The Radio Dept.' I was eagerly curious to see what they could come up with after the sublime conjunction of musical & lyrical pieces that is 'Pet Grief.' Sure, 'Freddie & The Trojan Horse' was unbelievable and 'David' was pretty amazing as well, but would they be able to top the EPs with their 3rd LP? I'm glad to say that they have dissipated any doubts.

'Clinging To A Scheme' is the 3rd album from 'The Radio Dept.' a band that is famous for putting out consistently good recordings, and this gem is no exception. Ranking this album in comparison to the other 2 is futile, they are all very, very good. I just want to see what they come up with, but this gorgeous album will surely get you through the wait.

5 very deserved Stars.

Not as dark as usual for The Radio Dept. But it's a great album. Best song is Heaven's on Fire. Absolutely.