Considering I haven’t really listened to much of anything in the past three weeks, I figured there’s nothing wrong with talking about an album that came out back in May of 2006. I guess it’s not so much talking about an album, but the actual band as i’ve been wanting to talk about these amazing Swedes (yes Swedes) for such a long time. When I first heard “The Worst Taste In Music” I was completely blown away with the combination of what seemed like a very melancholy Jesus & Mary Chain crossed with Pet Shop Boys synths. That comparison might actually sound bad to some but you really have to give it a listen before coming to any harsh pre-judgements.
I was really looking forward to listening to the album after hearing that one track – it ended up being one of my favorites of the year – but I was kinda disappointed when I initially listened to Pet Grief. The first few tracks really grabbed me with the same intensity that “The Worst Taste In Music” did, but as a whole the rest didn’t live up to the few standout tracks. I think this was a problem for a lot people, as it seemed the band had taken a different direction in sound from their previous album Lesser Matters that went for more synths and less fuzz.
So i’m sure you thinking why I would be talking about this album now if I didn’t think it was any good, right? Well, I think the charm of this album really came to me after a long period of time of listening to it on and off. I still listen to it regularly and it’s one of those albums that get better with more listens. I would hope that was the case for most people as with the inclusion of several tracks on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack as well would’ve given them significant push of this criminally overlooked band in the same vein as what Lost in Translation did for Phoenix….well….sort of.
myspace / website / buy
The Radio Dept. | Pet Grief
The Radio Dept. | “The Worst Taste In Music”
The Radio Dept. | “Pet Grief”
Lesser Matters | The Radio Dept.
“Why Won’t You Talk About It?” | The Radio Dept.
Additional posts you may be interested in:
Entries (RSS)
Wow, sounds kinda like it could have come out in 1986 just as easily as 2006.
J’aime ceci beaucoup!
Wow I agree with you so much on this one. Regular reader of the blog and just had to comment that over the past few months I really have realized just how amazing the Radio Dept album truly is. You just notice different layers and sounds and depths to each song with repeated listens.