Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Radio Dept. and a New Song

Over the last year I have fallen head-over-heels in love with a genre of music I refer to as indie pop-shoegaze. Without ever having had heard of such a thing last winter I was in one of those moods -- the kind marked by an intense desire to listen to some new music. I dropped by my friend Joe's apartment before taking my Sunday night trek back to Somerset for the week and I saw a cd lying on the dining room table. The band was called The Radio Dept., the album Lesser Matters. He let me borrow it and the rest, as they say, is history.


I can recommend neither this band nor this record enough. I knew little about indie pop and even less about shoegaze (and I certainly had not heard of the two together) but when I listened I thought to myself, if I were to try to describe this, I would call it a mix between indie pop and shoegaze. Wow. Its awesome. As soon as I got home I looked them up on wikipedia and apparently thats what everyone else calls this melodic, enchanting band that hails from Sweden. I have continued to love and enjoy all music that reminds me of said genre. Melodic. Layered. Ambient. With verbed-out vocals and often melancholic. Its just gorgeous. Aside from The Radio Dept., Wild Nothing, and (though they may not be directly in the genre -- they are more chillwave -- but certainly related) -- Washed Out. Though for me The Radio Dept. takes it. When I listen to bands like Pheonix or Passion Pit its always like... yeah this is cool but now I just wanna listen to The Radio Dept. (though the former two may be slightly better for a dance party, but of course TRD has their own wonderfully danceable tunes.)


If you know nothing of what I am talking about I highly recommend some investigating. The Radio Dept. and this genre of music has quickly risen to one of my all-time favorites. Its sweeping and beautiful and maybe just as important as anything when it comes to music, it has longevity. Find it. Listen to it. And enjoy.



this new song is my own attempt at the genre


words and stars by Glen Yoder


**As my love for this stuff has grown, so has my desire to write it. My friend, Pete, and I are starting a project where we will do just that. Yesterday I spent the better part of 8-9 hours in front of my computer writing and recording this song. Its not finished. It needs a lot more (especially on the verses.) Its a rough demo done w/ my mac so keep that in mind. But here ya go. Enjoy.



words and stars


all these words they call

like a falling star

hearts sleep in the fields

like a broke down car


smiles fade like the sun

wrapped among the stars

as pretty and bright as love

and just as far


everything you wanted

it lies inside a different light

when you find it

all that you wanted now

you wanted now

it's come it's go it's always

whatever


all these words they fall

carving out their scars

weeds grow round these hearts

like a broke down car


all the words you spoke

always seem to stay

hanging on in my

pocket like dead weight

and some useless change


everything you wanted

it lies inside a different light

when you find it

all that you wanted now

you wanted now

it's come it's go it's always

whatever

3 comments:

  1. Glen,
    Love the song, man! I hope to hear more work like this. It caught my ear instantly with the opening riff and kept me in this chill, concentrated state as I photoshopped away at work. That is the desired effect of shoe-gaze indie pop, I would say.

    I absolutely love this genre, style, sound, whatever you would call it. I learned about Radio Dept. by reading one of your posts a while back. I immediately brought Lesser Things and that album been on a playlist looping with the band Broken Bells for a while now.

    Excellent work!

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  2. Kudos. I am exploring, and learning because of your gift. Yep, yep. I like the song.

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  3. i was totally staring at my shoes.

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