I'm sure most people would have thought I'd choose a group like Radiohead or Red Hot Chili Peppers for the Letter "R", but I didn't. I am not the Radiohead devotee like most people who love alternative music are. I love The Bends and In Rainbows a lot, but they're one of those groups that I buy their music and enjoy it, but take no obsessive pride in "knowing" anything about them. As for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I love half their music as much I can't stand the rest. In fact, "Under the Bridge", may be one of my least favorite songs ever (for reals). I did love their album By The Way though.
I actually had thought about writing about Rachael Yamagata, but I used one of my favorite songs by her in my Letter "Q" post so I decided she wouldn't do either. In the end, I went with the first group that popped in my head when I thought of the Letter "R", The Radio Dept.
The Radio Dept. are a band from Sweden. They're identified to be something called "Dream Pop", but as I've said before, I have no idea what all these labels mean half the time. I think of them of super chill with pretty music and soft vocals. Maybe that's where the "dream pop" come from. It does have a quality that makes it feel dreamy and gauzy; it's as if you're listening to music through a softened prism.
I'm trying to remember how I started listening to The Radio Dept. They're not exactly "radio friendly" nor spoken about that often in music blogs. It seems very few know and appreciate them the way I do. I have one blog follower, and twitter friend, @GoDionGo, who has excellent taste in music (he did find my blog through a mutual great taste in music - haha) and appreciates how beautiful The Radio Dept. is. And before you say The Radio Dept.'s songs, "Keen on Boys" and "Pulling our Weight" were featured on Sofia Coppola's 2006 Marie Antoinette movie soundtrack, I already knew who they were before the movie came out.
However I found the group, they remain one of those bands I like to listen to when I don't need something blaring at me, but isn't too classical or ambient. They fill a calm void and are good music to work on other things while their albums play in the background.
If you're interested in buying some of their stuff, here are my suggestions:
Most people will say Lesser Matters is the best album, but Pet Grief is my favorite.
It may be because my fav song by them is on it. ;)
This is an EP and only has five songs, but they're really good.
This is a "Best Of" collection of singles from 2002-2010.
It's good, but not my favorite because it doesn't have a lot from my two fav offerings.
It also contains a set of "B-Sides" singles.
This may be the best introduction to them though.
Click to hear some of my favorite The Radio Dept. songs...
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My favorite The Radio Dept. songs:
I WANTED YOU TO FEEL THE SAME
PULLING OUR WEIGHT
EVERY TIME
WHERE DAMAGE ISN'T ALREADY DONE
CLOSING SCENE
MAD ABOUT THE BOY
I have more, but I'll leave you with these =)
Thank you for 'R'ecommending this band! Admittedly, I hadn't heard of them before.