Send "The Radio Dept " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 Who?Veteran Swedish alt-pop group The Radio Dept. follow up their critically acclaimed full-length Clinging To A Scheme with Never Follow Suit EP, a bite-sized 5-track treat for desperate fans who just don’t have enough Prozac in the cabinet to quell their anticipation for new material. How is it? Never Follow Suit EP’s focal point is one of Clinging To A Scheme’s highlight tracks – “Never Follow Suit,” hence the album title. Aside from the song itself, the EP carries 2 reinterpretations: “On Your Side,” a dreamy number that builds on “Never Follow Suit’s” lyrical themes, and “Never Swallow Fruit,” a spacey, stoned remix of the title track where the band allows itself to be parodied. Both are demonstrations of the band’s charismatic diversity and flexibility – intriguing for the die-hard worshiper, though maybe a little deep for the casual observer. The same could be said for “The One” and “Stay Off Route,” which carry traces of hip-hop beats in their instrumental romp. So while Never Follow Suit EP may be too dense if you’re looking to get into The Radio Dept., it’s an excellent reward for anyone familiar with the band’s history. There’s more than enough to be appreciated here in terms of intricacy, and it’s fun just to listen to the vets work their magical craft. If you’re new though, stick with Clinging To A Scheme....full text |
| Prettymuchamazing |
| Though Swedish indie pop trio The Radio Dept. have only released three LP’s in nearly a decade, they have always put out a string of EP’s in between. 2009′s David EP created quite a buzz amidst the blogosphere in anticipation of this year’s acclaimed Clinging On A Scheme. Supported with songs as endearing and unforgettable as “Heaven’s On Fire” and “Never Follow Suit,” the record received a glowing response from fans and critics, the former released as a single in February, the latter a few days ago as an EP....full text |
| Gromag |
| If you've been following The Radio Dept. over the years, you've probably noticed that their gear has gradually shifted from the fuzzy distortions of My Bloody Valentine, to the dub-beat based pop electronica of Saint Etienne (the Swedish band never liked to be labeled as shoegaze anyway). No matter which influence may be in the driver's seat, fans can count on elements of dreaminess from the trio - which can also be a pitfall. Dissecting their compositions, there isn't much diversity, but somehow, The Radio Dept. always manages to escape the banal. Never Follow Suit is a testament to The Radio Dept.'s resourcefulness. There isn't actually a ‘new’ song on the third singles EP from Cling To a Scheme (QRO review); every arrangement recycles elements from the title track. "The One" is like a child of "Never Follow Suit". With similar chords set to slightly slow-downed beats of its paternal composition, it doesn't develop fully as a song, but rather serve as a prologue, seamlessly transforming into the main event. If one song could encapsulate the motto of The Radio Dept., "Never Follow Suit" would be its best candidate. This is a band that likes to have a total control and freedom, and could give a crap about nabbing commercial success. Incorporating an audio excerpt from the eighties documentary on NYC graffiti and hip hop subculture, Style Wars: "It's for me, it's not for nobody else to see / I don't care about nobody else seeing it / All these other people who don't write / They're excluded / I don't care about them / They don't matter to me / It's for us / It's for us," "Never Follow Suit" is the band's unofficial anthem. But this ‘non-conformism’ probably has more to do with their propensity for boredom, rather than an embracement of the "indie attitude". In an interview with The Line Of Best Fit earlier this year, frontman Johan Duncanson stated, "We like short records, singles, EPs, short albums, short shows. Short is a key word." With that kind of attitude, how did The Radio Dept. sustain their distinguishable dream pop sound for almost a decade? Rest of the Never Follow Suit plays out with its shortest and longest track. The jangly instrumental piece, "Stay Off Route", morphs into "On Your Side", which reprocesses the lyrics and the melody from "Never Follow Suit", with Balearic beat influence. The 8:16 dub version of the title track, "Never Swallow Fruit", concludes the EP. Deviating from the stylistic flow of the preceding numbers, the mechanically hollow, chill-wave remix by Pistol Disco overshadows The Radio Dept.'s ethereal warmth, enveloped in swooshes and drones. Other than for the justification of amusement, and spinning at dance clubs, this trend of bands remixing each other's work seems to be not much more than an exercise on how to kill time, while waiting for their creative spark....full text |
The Radio Dept lyrics
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