Written by Fense
With this new EP, dubbed after the opening track “Freddie And The Trojan Horse”, The Radio Dept. find themselves morphing into an even darker beast than was once thought possible. In the title track, this is emphasized through electro-new-wave-y melancholy vocals and percussive beats, as well as the dark sound that encompasses the keys.
It continues in the largely drone-filled electronic second track, “Closing Scene.” The third track deviates slightly — it’s still has the depressing vocals, but in comparison to the first two tracks, it follows more closely the sound on The Radio Dept.’s last album, Pet Grief; that album was dark, but the instrumentation was not nearly as dreary. The final track is merely an alternate version of “Closing Scene”, this time instrumental and filled with a static-y distortion The Radio Dept. has often been fond of (think The Radio Dept. circa Lesser Matters).
As an EP, or extended single, Freddie And The Trojan Horse succeeds in capturing interest. It has all the elements of a transition from a past sound to one slightly progressed. And it gives us a hint of — and something to look forward to — in The Radio Dept.’s next LP.
The Radio Dept: Freddie And The Trojan Horse [mp3]
[audio:1029_the_radio_dept_-_freddie_and_the_trojan_horse.mp3|titles=Freddie And The Trojan Horse|artists=The Radio Dept.]
Labrador Records [CDEP, 2008]
1. Freddie And The Trojan Horse
2. Closing Scene
3. The Room, Tarzana
4. Closing Scene, Pt. 2
