Swedish fuzzed out dream pop group The Radio Dept. returns with a new EP called Never Follow Suit. Featuring lead title track “Never Follow Suit” continues what the band has been doing of late, melding together traits of dream pop, electro-pop and fuzz pop. “Never Follow Suit” is off the band’s recent LP, Clinging To A Scheme. Both are now available via Labrador Records on iTunes.

The label and band have made the title track available for our collective enjoyment, along with a remix titled “Never Swallow Fruit dub by Pistol Disco.”

Download: “Never Follow Suit” by The Radio Dept.

Download: “Never Swallow Fruit dub by Pistol Disco” by The Radio Dept.

Beginning with a sample (bonus points if you can pinpoint that voice) and leading into The Radio Dept.‘s now signature eletro-pop meets fuzzed out, jangle-worthy synth lines, “Heaven’s On Fire” promises great things for the band’s forthcoming record Clinging To A Scheme. It carries on precisely where the band headed post the release of their second LP, Pet Grief; songs like singles “Freddie And The Trojan Horse” and “David”.

Like these songs, “Heaven’s On Fire” drops in hints of post-punk (of the more minimal assortment) and capitalizes on the aptitude for blending seemingly countless genres for a sound quite unique and always burning with genius. The song is the latest single to be released by Labrador Records; it comes out March 24 and features a Sade cover (“All About Our Love”). On April 21, a mere month after the single drops, Labrador will release Clinging To A Scheme.

The Radio Dept: Heaven’s On Fire [mp3]

On June 6, 2006, FensePost went live. Since its inception, I’ve written more than 1,000 album reviews and countless features, track reviews, live reviews, and video reviews. My collection has grown exponentially. I have a room in my house devoted entirely to records. CDs go in the living room and I’m out of shelving space. To say FensePost has become a big part of my life would be an understatement. It’s as much a second job as it is a hobby.

Above photo of me taken by an unknown individual at a KZUU party in 2006.

We’re now at the top 33 and 1/3, which is fitting being that ’06 was the first year for a FensePost best of the year list. From now on these Retrospectives will be a reshuffling of past lists, accounting for albums that now hold more power than they did back then, or adding in albums that weren’t on my radar at the time. We begin with a standout single (hence the 1/3, as singles often account for approximately a third of an album).

Here are my favorites from 2006…

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1/3. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
The song that took this band, sarcastically referencing the crazy NBA star Charles Barkley with the moniker Gnarls Barkley, to the stars. “Crazy” was a pretty impressive song; listen to it today and the chance is you’ll still find it pretty cool.

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33. The Way The Wind Blows by A Hawk & A Hacksaw
A Hawk & A Hacksaw creates a form of classical Balkan-influenced music that focuses on percussion, accordion and fiddle. The duo live is a sight to see, with Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel) playing accordion with his hands and percussion with his feet and head, and Heather Trost on violin/fiddle. The band includes others, but Barnes and Trost are the primaries. The Way The Wind Blows is an absolute must-hear album for 2006.

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32. We Are The Pipettes by The Pipettes
Some bands never live past their initial hype. The Pipettes came very close to succumbing to that fate. After several excellent singles, their album dropped and we enjoyed it for a few months. Then they disappeared into the indie ether. Their anti-Beatles 50s girl group style was fun while it lasted. In other words, We Are The Pipettes would have had a much higher spot on this list back in 2006. Sure, I’ll pick up this album every so often and I’ll genuinely enjoy some of the old tunes, and I’ll wonder what these three quite lovely ladies are up to (I heard a few of them left the band), and when they’ll be giving us a follow up. Will it live up to the band’s former hype? We’ll see.

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31. Bring Me The Workhorse by My Brightest Diamond
My Brightest Diamond is an interesting group. At one moment, creating soft, almost folk-like music, the Shara Worden fronted group swoons listeners in with the soft cooing and sweeps them away with siren-esque monumental emotive bellows. “Something To An End” and “Golden Star” open Bright Me The Workhorse with easy high points that the rest of the album does a fair job attempting to beat. Bring Me The Workhorse and Shara Worden prove that the mythical sirens do exist.

My Brightest Diamond: Something Of An End [mp3]

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30. Fab Four Suture by Stereolab
It’s odd to think of Fab Four Suture as one of my favorite so-called albums by Stereolab. After all, it is a collection of singles and their b-sides released by the band in 2005 and 2006.

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29. Ringleader Of The Tormentors by Morrissey
In my eyes, Morrissey’s solo work will never live up to that he released with The Smiths. It’s a simple fact. Still, Ringleader Of The Tormentors wasn’t half bad. “You Have Killed Me” and “The Youngest Was The Most Loved” both were excellent portrayals of the artist, who (also in my eyes) is one of the greatest around today.

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28. Avatar by Comets On Fire
Listening again to “Dogwood Rust” off Avatar, I cannot help thinking how similar Crystal Antlers sound to Comets On Fire. They fit a similar mold, these two epic bands. Their experimental rock is colorful and larger than life. Avatar is chaotic and hints of a greater 70s influence. In my opinion, this band not only influenced modern experimental rock artists like Crystal Antlers, they also influenced the imaginative collective known as Dark Meat.

Comets On Fire: Dogwood Rust [mp3]

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27. Etiquette by Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
The melodramatic mopey songs of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone are countered so perfectly with lo-fi, twee-ish casio pop. That being the case, the band’s moniker is almost perfect. Songs like “New Year’s Kiss” and “Bobby Malone Moves Home” made you want to cower in sadness, all while putting a smile on your face thanks to oft bouncy little melodies.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone: Young Shields [mp3]

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26. The Unsung Colony by Norfolk & Western
When folk-pop lapses into loud distorted guitar breakdowns, as Norfolk & Western does throughout The Unsung Colony, something special happens. The songs transcend both genres to a whole new plane of significance. This album is easily my favorite from the band thanks to songs like “The Longest Stare” and “Barrels On Fire”.

Norfolk & Western: The Longest Stare [mp3]

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25. Cansei De Ser Sexy by CSS
There’s an innate sexual pull to virtually every song on Cansei De Ser Sexy, and the same in practically everything CSS does. This Brazilian band knows how to shake things up, rumps and all. And they’re not afraid to turn a few heads as well, a fact proven by their awesome video for “Alala”.

CSS: Alala [mp3]

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24. Six Demon Bag by Man Man
Man Man is a band of maniacs, filled with eccentric individuals clad in all white. Six Demon Bag was pretty groundbreaking upon its release. More tribal than Animal Collective, wilder than Feral Children, it seemed insanity was an inherent part of every man in Man Man.

Man Man: Van Helsing Boombox [mp3]

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23. Math And Physics Club by Math And Physics Club
You could call it lounge-pop, this twee-ish basement and bedroom style of pop. Math And Physics Club fits the description, adding in a nerdy hopeless romantic schoolboy element. Despite the soft melodies, this band puts on one hell of a live performance, and can write one hell of a great song.

Math And Physics Club: Darling, Please Come Home [mp3]

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22. Pet Grief by The Radio Dept.
Following Lesser Matters, The Radio Dept. created a pop album ethereal and dreamy. It lacks much of its predecessor’s fuzzy greatness, but has plenty of excellence on its own. Filled instead with reverb and electronic elements, Pet Grief was the beginning of a new and exciting direction for one of Sweden’s many outstanding bands.

The Radio Dept: The Worst Taste In Music [mp3]

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21. Floating World by Anathallo
Floating World was one of the first album reviews on FensePost and I likened it to Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens for the power it held, and the potential the band had as we neared the end of the year. The group was more a marching band gone wild, with immense drums, found sounds, and non-traditional instruments when it comes to modern pop song-craft. And that’s what made Floating World such a strong album.

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20. Cannibal Sea by The Essex Green
Cannibal Sea is filled with undeniably fun pop melodies and rhythms, many of which are easily The Essex Green’s best work to date. Earlier albums, like Everything Is Green hold their weight, but this one is special in that it is entirely upbeat.

Essex Green: Don’t Know Why [mp3]

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19. The Eraser by Thom Yorke
I recall The Eraser receiving quite a few mixed reviews upon its release in 2006, which is odd because the album is quite brilliant. It’s merely a progression of the more current work from Radiohead, stripped down slightly yet no less significant. Tracks like “The Eraser” and “Cymbal Rush” demonstrate that Yorke stands just as strong alone as he does with his full group.

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18. Yellow House by Grizzly Bear
“Knife” was easily one of the best music videos of 2007, bizarre and almost creepy. As a whole Yellow House was an entrancing collection of dreamy songs on the dangerous cusp between pleasure and nightmare. The album lived up to its predecessor and then some.

Grizzly Bear: On A Neck, On A Spit [mp3]

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17. Kill Them With Kindness by Headlights
Damn. I forgot to include Enemies, Headlights debut EP, in my 2005 list. That should have been in there, pretty high too. Kill Them With Kindness was the band’s follow-up to that EP and it found them straying from those echoing heights that made that EP so good. Instead, they gave us some excellent tracks in “TV” and “Songy Darko”. A favorite was the soft opening track, “Your Old Street”. Headlights have since maintained a balance between orchestration and indie pop, shoegaze and dream pop.

Headlights: TV [mp3]

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16. Return To Sea by Islands
In their first post-Unicorns release, Islands succeeded in creating an album that was just as quirky yet championed a higher production value. Return To Sea featured such excellence as “Where There’s a Will There’s a Whalebone”, “Humans” and “Rough Gem”.

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15. Let’s Get Out Of The Country by Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura has done an excellent job creating a name for themselves despite sharing quite a few traits with fellow hometown group Belle & Sebastian. Similarly orchestrated and influenced by 60s pop, with each new album Camera Obscura does more and more to set themselves apart and Let’s Get Out Of The Country is no exception. “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” to this day remains of their top songs.

Camera Obscura: Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken [mp3]

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14. Writer’s Block by Peter Bjorn & John
“Young Folks” and “Objects Of My Affection” found Peter Bjorn & John writing their most creative songs yet. PBJ maintained their folk sensibilities while fully integrating a modern pop sound that simply couldn’t be ignored. This album was an instant classic, and demonstrated aptly that the band definitely didn’t have writer’s block.

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13. Electric President by Electric President

Distinct memories surround this album. It was the soundtrack to my 2006 summer, post graduate school. I’d listen to it as I walked home from work, when I drove to the store, when I rode my bike to Moscow from Pullman (about an 8 mile trek through rolling fields of wheat). The summer was hot and the weather was beautiful. It was one of the best summers of my life.

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12. Let Me Introduce You To My Friends by I’m From Barcelona
What a great concept for a band! Emanuel Lundgren, the leader of this collective, decided to record an album. He invited his friends. And they came. More than two dozen of them. And I’m From Barcelona was born. The band is enormous, but what sets them apart is the indie pop choir that became an inherent part of the band.

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11. Panic When You Find It by Young And Sexy
This is an album I’ve been obsessed with since first listen. It’s all to easy to get swept up in the excellence of “The Curious Organ” and “Conventional Lullabies”. Part cheerful, upbeat indie-pop and part slow, emotive pop, this album has perfect ballance.

Young And Sexy: Conventional Lullabies [mp3]

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10. Silent Shout by The Knife
Rounding out the top ten is Silent Shout by The Knife. Never showing their faces, this duo crafts eerie electronic songs dark and mysterious. The title track was one of the best videos of 2006, as was “We Share Our Mother’s Health”. The entire album is packed with epic beats and creepy vocals. Silent Shout is truly a one of a kind album.

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9. Dreams by The Whitest Boy Alive
I honestly cannot decide if I like Dreams or Rules better, the latter being this year’s follow-up to the band’s 2006 LP. After releasing one album under his parent-given name, Erlend Øye, half of the duo that is Kings Of Convenience put together The Whitest Boy Alive to continue his super danceable funky electronic pop.

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8. Worry A Lot by The Zebras
I was introduced to The Zebras at SXSW 2007 during the Three Imaginary Girls / Magic Marker Records showcase, dubbed the Indie-pop Hootenanny. Performing several songs off Worry A Lot, I became an instant fan and went so far as to label them one of my top two favorite indie pop bands from Australia, directly alongside The Lucksmiths. I think I said it best myself, in my review of this album back in 2007:

Some artists struggle with musicianship while excelling in songwriting. For others, the vice versa is true. However, after eight straight listens to Worry A Lot, it is clear that The Zebras have the uncanny ability to do no wrong.

The Zebras: You Look Ready [mp3]

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7. Destroyer’s Rubies by Destroyer
I was entirely disappointed when I heard Destroyer’s Rubies in January of 2007 and realized I was not able to put it on my best of 2006 list. The album is stunning; in my opinion Dan Bejar’s best work to date. Opening with the epic “Rubies” and continuing with greats like “European Oils” and “Priest’s Knees”, this album finds Destroyer at his most melodic.

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6. Songs That You Might Not Like by BOAT
Self-deprecation is often a mask for insecurities and personal humor has always sided on self-deprecation for me. I guess that’s why I instantly fell in love with BOAT’s debut LP Songs That You Might Not Like. Throaty reptilian vocals lent themselves well to songs like “Elephant Ears” and “Clogged Castle”. When it comes down to it, BOAT is a band made up of some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.

BOAT: Last Cans Of Paint [mp3]

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5. Parallel Plots by Patience Please
Patience Please was ultimately one of the first artists I discovered after starting FensePost, and I went on to befriend many of its members. These indie-pop songs lean toward rock and feature clever metaphors and brainy lyrics about longing and failed relationships.

Patience Please: Little Mouthfuls [mp3]

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4. Mothers Sisters Daughters & Wives by Voxtrot
Their follow-up to one of my favorite releases of 2005, Voxtrot’s Mothers Sisters Daughters & Wives is again jam-packed with excellent tunes. From the title track and “Fast Asleep” to “Rise Up In The Dirt” and “Soft & Warm”, this EP is just as powerful and praise-worthy as Raised By Wolves.

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3. Everything All The Time by Band Of Horses
I think I listened to “Funeral” about 20 times in a row when a note about Band Of Horses’ upcoming release of Everything All The Time arrived in my inbox. The album itself went on to be one of my favorites of the year at the time, and little has changed since. “The Great Salt Lake”, “The First Song”, “St. Augustine”; they all remain excellent tracks to this day.

Band Of Horses: The Funeral [mp3]

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2. The Life Pursuit by Belle & Sebastian
Initially, Belle & Sebastian’s The Life Pursuit was among my favorites from the band, but that only lasted about six months. I returned to previous albums and discredited this one’s greatness. However, as time passed I came to realize that it really was one of their better albums. As a whole, this album continues to grow on me, even four years after its initial release.

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1. The Gulag Orkestar by Beirut
The Gulag Orkestar was so different from what I was used to, and I quickly became obsessed with its Balkan sounds. An impressive feat, one could hear the passion and emotion Zach Condon put into the album. It was obvious from the beginning that Beirut would be a band to keep an eye on.

Beirut: Mount Wroclai (Idle Days) [mp3]

The summer of 2003 was a hot one in eastern Washington, and my concrete bunker of an apartment contained the heat like no other. Granted, the above image wasn’t shot by yours truly until 2004, but it sure seemed hot enough to ignite even the least combustible of items. I wrapped up my undergraduate that December, which was cold as Antarctica, and upon that milestone I moved to Seattle. It was a good year for the Northwest; many of my favorite albums came from Seattle labels like Sub Pop and Barsuk. As for the list, I’ve expanded it to 20. Couldn’t help it.

Do you have an album from 2003 not included below that would have made your best of list? Feel free to add a comment and include what makes it special to you. As all of these Retrospectives go, we’re reminiscing on good times. Here is my list of favorite albums from 2003:

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20. Mouthfuls by Fruit Bats
Folk-pop tinged with a hint of back-country with highpoints “A Bit Of Wind” and “Seaweed”, and Mouthfuls by Fruit Bats gets the number 20 spot on my top albums of 2003. You just can’t lose with lyrics like It takes mouthfuls of Niagara Falls. It seems this album is a bit more centered around folk than their newer stuff, and these sensibilities keep the songs on the verge of subtlety; soft and subdued, they were perfect for unwinding after a long day. Grab a glass of wine, and let the good tunes flow.

Fruit Bats: A Bit Of Wind [mp3]

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19. Hate by The Delgados
As much as I liked Emma Pollock’s 2007 solo release, Watch The Fireworks, revisiting The Delgados‘ old albums it’s easy to hear that there’s no comparing them. Hands down, The Delgados win. “All You Need Is Hate” tops the group’s library as one of their best songs, playing off The Beatles “All You Need Is Love”, giving it a super catchy chorus and packing the instrumentation with beloved strings.

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18. Dusk In Cold Parlours by Norfolk & Western
Dusk In Cold Parlours may not be as hard-hitting as its dual 2006 successors, A Gilded Age and The Unsung Colony, but it is good melodic orchestral folk. Looking back, yes I do miss those freak-outs, those forays into loud instrumental breakdowns (“Barrels On Fire” and “A Porch Destruction”) that really defined the persona of Norfolk & Western. Dusk In Cold Parlours just didn’t have them, at least to the extent of those which came later. Instead, we got real orchestral folk pop, and that in itself is worth of lauding.

Norfolk & Western: Impossible [mp3]

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17. Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle & Sebastian
There’s a reason I consider Belle & Sebastian one of my all-time favorite bands. Dear Catastrophe Waitress is, as a whole, one of my least favorite albums by the group, yet it’s still in the top 20. This is in part due to the fact that few songs are mainstays on my playlist. Exceptions exist, like “Stay Loose” and “If She Wants Me” and “Piazza, New York Catcher”; it’s also in part due to the fact that I haven’t listened to it in its entirely with much frequency.

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16. No Culture Icons EP by The Thermals
Is it wrong to include EPs in lists of so-called Best Albums? I could put in More Parts Per Million but that album wasn’t quite as taking as No Culture Icons. The song, “No Culture Icons”, is my all-time favorite by The Thermals. The lyrics Hardly art, hardly starving may be what gave the Sub Pop spin-off label Hardly Art their name. True or not, it doesn’t discount the fact that the song, and album, are a stunning display of social and political commentary in the form of lyrical poetry. Backed by punk-pop noise, The Thermals’ fuzzy guitars and basement drums are the perfect accompaniment. Their more recent works seem to lose some of that crude early production, which fit so well with the topics at hand. What really set this EP apart from their debut LP was “Everything Thermals”, a self-anthem that fit their brand of wild but cohesive punk rock/pop.

The Thermals: No Culture Icons [mp3]

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15. Down With Wilco by The Minus 5
I never could tell whether this album was titled sarcastically or not, at least from the songs held within. Knowing that the album actually included contributions from Wilco (something not entirely unheard of from The Minus 5) made complete sense as Down With Wilco has a very Wilco-esque nature to it. It also includes collaborations with Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) and Peter Buck (R.E.M.).

The Minus 5: The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply [mp3]

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14. The Concretes by The Concretes
There’s something truly special about that Swedish accent, namely the accent sung in a female voice; it’s enough to make you wonder if the sirens from Greek Mythology hailed from Scandinavia. In my world, they do. Former lead singer Victoria Bergsman coos like no other on “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Lonely As Can Be”. Revisiting this album, as well as others by The Concretes, it’s easy to hear why this band deserves inclusion in these lists; their music is romantic and sad and heartfelt, yet not overly sappy. It’s pop music at its finest.

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13. Son by Jeff Hanson
I met Jeff Hanson a few years after this album was released, shortly after the release of his self-titled follow-up. And what I remember of him is contrast. His music was that of mystery; the pleasant falsetto vocals and acoustic guitar was surprising coming from a burly man with thick stubble. But this man was gentle and kind, and his songs were true to his nature. We lost a great musician this year (he passed a few months back), but he won’t be forgotten. Nor will his music.

Jeff Hanson: Hiding Behind The Moon [mp3]

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12. Lesser Matters by The Radio Dept.
“Where Damage Isn’t Already Done” by The Radio Dept. is one of my favorite songs of 2003. It contains a rapid percussion that doesn’t quite rival that of The Walkmen’s “The Rat” which would come soon hereafter, but the concept is similar. Backed by fuzzy, jangly guitar pop and an up-close-and-personal vocal style, Lesser Matters remains among The Radio Dept.’s best work yet. Many would side on the newer, more electronic side the band is taking on, but this early stuff totally takes the cake for me.

The Radio Dept: Why Won’t You Talk About It? [mp3]

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11. Naturaliste by The Lucksmiths
The Lucksmiths have always written song lyrics as though they were poems with plots. Staring At The Sky neared perfection for the band and that trait lent much to the EP’s greatness. Still, one of their most admired songs, a cross-section of falling in love, is “Camera Shy”, the opening track off Naturaliste. The album doesn’t stop there, going on to give us greats like “Midweek Morning” and “There Is A Boy That Never Goes Out” (a play off The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”, which the band covers on the Romantic & Square Is Hip & Aware comp).

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10. The Long Goodbye by The Essex Green
The Essex Green have always put out great pop records, from the Kindercore release Everything Is Green (on wonderful green vinyl nonetheless) to The Long Goodbye. Where other artists rely on sad stories and homeless romanticism, The Essex Green always seemed to contain more purity. Those other things may have been there, but songs like “The Late Great Cassanova” and “Our Lady In Havana” just don’t sound like it. They’re upbeat and joyful.

The Essex Green: Our Lady In Havana [mp3]

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9. Her Majesty The Decemberists by The Decemberists
For a very long time, “Shanty For The Arethusa” remained my favorite song by The Decemberists. Castaways & Cutouts was great, but this new theatrical element the group added in Her Majesty The Decemberists allowed their music to expand to new heights. As a whole, C&C may have been stronger, but Her Majesty had a few tracks that trumped their debut, like “The Bachelor & The Bride” and “The Soldering Life”.

The Decemberists: The Soldering Life [mp3]

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8. Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone by The Unicorns
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone was an album ahead of its time. Case in point is the popularity of post-The Unicorns group Islands. The songwriting style is no more mature than found here, and only a hair more produced and refined. The Unicorns were truly unique when it came to wacko tracks like “I Don’t Want To Die” and “Jellybones”. Odd as they were, you couldn’t help falling in love with each and every one of them.

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7. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky
The name Explosions In The Sky bears is so undoubtedly fitting; they always live up to the moniker and The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is no exception. From the breathtaking gradual build in “First Breath After Coma”, continuing with “The Only Moment We Were Alone” and on through “Your Hand In Mine”, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place remains EITS’ best album to date.

Explosions In The Sky: Your Hand In Mine [mp3]

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6. Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins
Oh, Inverted World was pretty damn great. No question about it. But boy Chutes Too Narrow came close to being just as powerful and noteworthy as its predecessor. I’d forgotten just how great an album it was until just now, revisiting songs like “Kissing The Lipless” and “Pink Bullets” and “So Says I”. This is an album that really should never be forgotten, and its a travesty I haven’t listened to it, or anything by The Shins for that matter, in well over a year. Seriously.

The Shins: Kissing The Lipless [mp3]

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5. When I Pretend To Fall by The Long Winters
Such a straightforward pop record, When I Pretend To Fall was The Long Winters‘ second album and it matched their debut stride for stride. The Long Winters have always succeeded in creating unambiguous pop-rock music entirely accessible yet just escaping the dreaded “contemporary” label. John Roderick is a rocker with a soft side, an educated songwriter with a sense of humor and whit. And it shows throughout When I Pretend To Fall.

The Long Winters: Stupid [mp3]

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4. Give Up by The Postal Service
I’d say 2007 was the last time I really gave Give Up by The Postal Service a good listen, maybe even 2006. In the time between its release and my last listen, I overplayed the album extensively. The hiatus in the time that followed is the curse of incessant repeat listens. Revisiting the album now, it’s easy to hear why it became such a regular for so long. Give Up really was a great album, and it is more than worthy of both praise and a high spot on any best of 2003 list.

The Postal Service: Such Great Heights [mp3]

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3. Electric Version by The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers really outdid themselves on Electric Version. The album is jam-packed with solid tracks, from the awkward-ish, title-track opener to the Dan Bejar-fronted “Testament To Youth In Verse”. Many would credit Mass Romantic, the group’s debut, as an all-time favorite; in my opinion Electric Version trumps them all. “Ballad Of A Comeback Kid” and “From Blown Speakers” round out some of my favorite tunes by the supergroup (yes, I called it that, despite knowing they frown on the association). Really, they are. Not because their members make up some of today’s most appreciated artists, but because they pack their albums with stellar tracks and because each member’s contribution refuses to go unseen.

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2. Echoes by The Rapture
When greatness occurs early on, it’s tough to live up to it in that which follows. That’s the curse of having a stellar debut. Echoes may not have been The Rapture‘s debut, but it was definitely great. Songs like “Olio” and “Sister Savior” were instant favorites, easily followed by “House Of Jealous Lovers”, “Heaven” and “I Need Your Love”. The inclusion of DFA, in hindsight, demonstrates perfectly the intricacies and influence this album possesses; and, in a way, you could almost say that early LCD Soundsystem gives Echoes a few healthy nods.

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1. Up Against The Legends by The Legends
Few records have had more impact on me as a person than that of Up Against The Legends by The Legends. Coincidentally, another such album is Sing Along With The Acid House Kings by Acid House Kings, also of Johan Angergård’s collection of groups. With Up Against The Legends, The Legends debuted with a gritty, raw album of distorted fuzzy garage pop well ahead of its time. To this day, this remains one of my all-time favorite albums, and one 2009′s garage-y fuzz-pop obsessives should get to know.

The Legends: Call It Ours [mp3]

The intro leading into the opening vocals in “David” is a bit surprising; featuring a highly melodic and downtempo key part similar to the sounds that enveloped Pet Grief but backed by a clean, relaxed bassline and relaxed percussion initially gives the listener a startle. This isn’t The Radio Dept. we’re used to, you might think. But in actuality, it is. The vocals enter and as the song progresses, it dawns on you — it’s all merely progress.

The song may not be as catchy as the last single The Radio Dept. gave us, “Freddie And The Trojan Horse”, but it’s just as good as anything off “Pet Grief” and most things off “Lesser Matters”. Either way, new material from The Radio Dept. is always exciting. And “David” lives up to the excitement and the long wait — “Pet Grief” came out way back in ’06. Sure, “Freddie” came out last year, and David IS yet another 4-song EP/single, but it doesn’t matter.

You’ll find that over the years The Radio Dept. has continued to deliver phenomenal releases, many of which were EPs or singles. There was Annie Laurie in 2002, Pulling Our Weight in ’03, and 2006 brought the clever single “The Worst Taste In Music”. All were worthwhile, and if the title track to David is any hint, it’ll find a more than worthy slot in my music collection. And hopefully yours as well.

David is available now for pre-order from the Labrador Records website.

The Radio Dept: David [mp3]

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]

Labrador Records [CDEP, 2008]

1. Freddie And The Trojan Horse
2. Closing Scene
3. The Room, Tarzana
4. Closing Scene, Pt. 2