"PET GRIEF" THE RADIO DEPT. (2006)

August 21, 2023

A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.

If you don’t know The Radio Dept., think Pet Shop Boys meets Cocteau Twins. Icy synth riffs go hand in hand with the dream pop world created on Pet Grief. Is it too polished? Possibly. But it’s that sense of gliding with the music that gives the record its edge. It’s an ambient record where one song bleeds seamlessly into the next. I had to table it at first when I was first introduced to them. The Radio Dept. didn’t rock hard enough for me. But eventually my openness to dream pop emerged, starting with the title track.

“Pet Grief” doesn’t rock to be sure, it rolls. This is the pace and stance of the entire album where the title track serves as a microcosm of the greater world that The Radio Dept. creates inside our heads. The Pet Shop Boys’ influence on the band is uncanny with the various synth parts all reminiscent of Chris Lowe’s canon. Johan Duncanson’s vocals seem almost despondent, which works well on this track whether he meant it or not.

“I'll shut my mouth for you. Anything you want me to.”

"ALWAYS A RELIEF" THE RADIO DEPT. (2006)

July 10, 2023

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 2006

When I was first introduced to The Radio Dept., I realized that all the other music that I was listening to at the time was characterized by bold, angular guitar riffs. Most of it probably had some association with post-punk revival. So when I first heard the Lesser Matters and Pet Grief albums, it felt like a soft landing into a new world. Less mind-numbing than the shoegaze pioneers, The Radio Dept.’s brand of dream pop seemed perfect for lazy music discovery days or the kind of thing you’d put on in the background for ordinary days. I could’ve picked any song off of Pet Grief to highlight, but I’ll go with the exceptional closing track “Always a Relief”.

The tones on the opening drum sequence are a warm welcome, feeling reminiscent of the opening drumbeat in Joy Division’s “Disorder”. “Always a Relief” then slips into its gorgeous minor guitar chords, with. progressions that are almost as resistant to movement as one might be lying in bed on a rainy day. Like many Radio Dept. songs, the lyrics aren’t extensive, and the instrumentation isn’t exactly the most versatile display of the band’s abilities. “Always a Relief” is like a mood piece. A perfect ending to an album full of similarly dreamy moments.

“IT FEELS LIKE OUR TIME HAS GONE TO WASTE.”

"TELL" THE RADIO DEPT. (2006)

February 10, 2023

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Putting The Radio Dept.’s first two full-length albums side by side – Lesser Matters and Pet Grief – I have trouble saying which one I like better. They are quite different from each other. The band’s debut album has more guitars, more of that characteristics shoegaze distortion and fuzz, and more variations. But the remarkable consistency between the tracks on their sophomore release is Pet Grief’s biggest strength and it’s what makes it such a great listen from beginning to end in one sitting. Just as critical to the overall sound as the early tracks are the ones that bring up the rear of the record, including “Tell”.

That dream pop essence is captured so poignantly in those high synthesizer single notes that seem to soar wistfully and tragically at the same time. As with many of the other tracks on Pet Grief, the synthesizers are king here and the guitar plays a secondary role, complementing the atmosphere and textures defined on the keys. The “Tell” is perfect for slow, lazy afternoons. Perfect for rainy days. Just perfect, in general.

“Will you keep this up, As long as you can if I don't make it stop?”

"ALWAYS A RELIEF" THE RADIO DEPT. (2006)

December 23, 2021

Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs

When I was first introduced to The Radio Dept., I realized that all the other music that I was listening to at the time was characterized by bold, brash guitar riffs and hard edges. Most of it probably had some association with post-punk revival. So when I first heard the Lesser Matters and Pet Grief albums, it felt like a soft landing into a new world. Less mind-numbing than the shoegaze pioneers, The Radio Dept.’s brand of dream pop seemed perfect for lazy music discovery days or the kind of thing you’d put on in the background for ordinary days. I could’ve picked any song off of Pet Grief to highlight, but I’ll go with the exceptional closing track “Always a Relief”.

“It feels like our time has gone to waste.”