In 1995, The Radio Dept. was formed by Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson (who were old school friends). The name was taken from a gas station/radio repair shop in Lund, Sweden, which had a large sign with the name Radioavdelningen, ("The Radio Department" in Swedish) hanging outside their shop.
Since 1995 members have been coming and going and at some points there has never really been a Radio Department at all.
Martin Carlberg and Johan Duncanson started playing together in 1998 and decided to use the name The Radio Dept. Since then the band has done lots of gigs and lots of recordings. The Radio Dept. recorded 4-tracks in friends' living rooms or at home, in smelly warehouse, in demo studios with blinking fluorescent lightning and at schools.
In the autumn of 2001 Lisa Carlberg and Per Blomgren (Bass & drums respectively), joined the band and they started rehearsing in the way bands so often do. Soon afterwards they were all joined by Daniel Tjader on the keyboards. Their recordings were sent to the music magazine Sonic and got a nice review. They were also on the free CD sampler that comes with the magazine. That's where Labrador Records discovered and learned to love the band. Now they're a part of Swedish indie label, Comings and goings
Original band member, Elin Almered, left the band before the recording of The Radio Dept.'s debut (lesser matters), but still made an appearance singing vocals for "Strange Things Will Happen".
Per Blomgren, Drummer, left the band before the release of Lesser Matters. The band opted instead for digital assistance with regards to drums & percussions for their songs.
Lisa Carlberg, bassist, departed from the Radio Dept soon after the release of "This past week EP". The band no longer felt the need for a member that solely specialized in bass. The band was taking a new direction and preparing for their second album, "Pet Grief", which wouldn't require a member that played bass guitar.
The current line up of the band is:
Johan Duncanson (Guitar & Vocals), Martin Carlberg(Guitar) and Daniel Tjäder (Keyboards & Synth) (2006).
More details can be found on the radio dept. website: theradiodept.com.
Record Labels.
Slottet:
Created in 2001, this is the Radio Dept's original label. Created & managed by the band themselves. They published and distributed their own recordings in order to spread their music to the world.
The "Against The Tide EP" & coveted "Annie Laurie EP" were both released on this label in 2002.
At sporadic moments over the years, whenever the band have wanted to release something quickly or for free, they'd do so through the Slottet label (e.g. bachelor Kisses in 2008).
Labrador :
After the success of the self released records and some glittering reviews in local publications, several major labels came calling. The Radio Dept. rejected most of these offers and instead signed with Labrador records. Although the band don't consider themselves connected ideologically or musically with Labrador and the other bands on the label, they have much respect for the label which has officially become the home of The Radio Dept.
Shelflife records:
Shelflife are an american indie label that operate on a similar philosophy to that of Sarah Records. They select highly innovative, creative & melodic bands and offer them transatlantic distribution. Several labrador bands had achieved success through shelflife, so it seemed an obvious choice to use them again for the distribution of 'Lesser Matters'. No futher Radio Dept records were released through shelflife.
Rex records:
Rex records was an London based experimental indie label started by an ex-XL employee. The aim was to release demos and promote leftfield indie music. Only two Radio Dept. records were released on Rex, Why Won't You Talk About It and the rare Liebling 7".
XL Recordings:
During 2004/05, XL funded, distributed and promoted The Radio Dept.
During this short partnership 4 records were released. Lesser Matters, Where Damage Isn't Already Done, Why Won't You Talk About It? and Ewan. A short european tour was organised for the band as well as lots of press and an appearance on an XL compilation with the likes of Ratatat & MIA.
Track & Field Records:
Track & Field are another London based record label that took a chance on The Radio Dept.
In 2006 Track & Field were employed to distribute Pet Grief in the UK. They also promoted the band and planned for an extensive UK tour. This plan was abandoned and a series of special one-off London shows were organised to supplant the tour.
Pony Canyon:
After years as an experienced distributor of DVD's & kids toys, Pony Canyon, tried their hand at promoting & distributing indie records. So far they've only distributed a special edition of Pet Grief in Japan.
Soundtrack
Three tracks by the Radio Dept. have been featured on the Sophia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette (2006). They are: Pulling our Weight, Keen on Boys, I Don't Like It Like This.
Messy Enough
The Radio Dept. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until my friends
Abuse you
No time for fooling around
It′s messy enough when they're laughing at me
No time for discussion
They′re disgusting
They're dismissed
Because you wait in the hall
The lyrics of The Radio Dept.'s song Messy Enough describe a difficult social situation where the singer has friends who are abusive towards someone they have brought into their midst. The singer tells the person they have brought to wait in the hall until the friends are done abusing them. The singer acknowledges that things are already messy enough when the friends are laughing at him, and there is no time for fooling around or discussion as the friends are disgusting and dismissed. However, this does not help the person who is waiting in the hall, and they continue to wait, alone and vulnerable.
The song speaks to the issue of abusive friendships, where the singer is caught between wanting to maintain a social connection with their friends and recognizing that their behavior is abusive and unacceptable. The line "No time for discussion, they're disgusting, they're dismissed" suggests that the singer has tried to confront their friends about their behavior, but to no avail. The fact that the person they have brought is waiting in the hall is a clear indication that there is a power imbalance in the relationship, where the singer's friends have the upper hand.
Overall, The Radio Dept.'s song Messy Enough is a poignant reflection on the challenges of maintaining friendships in the face of abusive behavior. The singer acknowledges the messiness of the situation, but also recognizes that simply dismissing their friends is not a solution, as it leaves the person they have brought alone and vulnerable.
Line by Line Meaning
You have to wait in hall
I'm sorry you have to wait in the hallway
Until my friends
My friends are still here
Abuse you
Until they finish being rude to you
No time for fooling around
I don't have time for games right now
It's messy enough when they're laughing at me
It's already chaotic when they're making fun of me
No time for discussion
There's no point in talking about it now
They're disgusting
They're acting repulsive
They're dismissed
I don't want to be around them anymore
But that doesn't help me at all
Unfortunately, it doesn't make things better for me
Because you wait in the hall
Because you're still waiting outside
Writer(s): Karl Duncanson, Max Weiland
Contributed by Oliver M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brian Brown
The beauty of this song....I'm in love.
MarioZcr
Love it
Jason Wallis
2:45 Best part
yasin sengul
a secret jewel