the radio dept gets passive aggressive

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Sweden's The Radio Dept. have been around for nearly ten years now, with a slew of singles, several EPs and three proper albums. The most recent, Clinging To A Scheme, came in at #7 on our Top 30 Albums of 2010.

Unless you were really into Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, their hazy dream pop has been fairly anonymous outside of Scandinavia — but they are out to remedy that.

Next week, Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 will be released in hopes of building on the momentum of Clinging To A Scheme.

The first disc is a singles collection, beginning with cuts from 2003's Lesser Matters and ending with this past fall's statement on Swedish politics, "The New Improved Hypocrisy." Disc two is a collection of rarities, many either out-of-print or never before available on CD.

It's a terrific introduction to a band that is starved for recognition. You can hear the evolution from shoegaze to dream pop, and warm to Johan Duncanson's near-whispered vocals.

Here's early single "Where Damage Isn't Already Done":




"The Worst Taste In Music" from Pet Grief sees the addition of synthesizers:




From the Marie Antionette Soundtrack, here's "Pulling Our Weight":




And finally, from Clinging To A Scheme, the reggae influenced "Never Follow Suit":




The Radio Dept. will be appearing at Coachella this April, with more U.S. dates to come. To hear more, check out their acoustic set on the legendary KEXP.

Say hello to your new favorite band.