Clinging to a Scheme

Relatively unknown in the U.S., Sweden’s Radio Dept. have released just a few albums and EPs since forming in 1995, yet several of their ethereal pop tunes found their way to the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette.” Keeping amiable company with both The Cure and Vivaldi on that collection speaks to the group’s range of tones; the band claims influences as disparate as the Pet Shop Boys, Chet Baker and Joy Division. We hear those influences, and more: the lonely jangle of acoustic guitars on “The Video Dept.” and the brave swagger of “Heaven’s On Fire” conjure the Smiths; huge white spaces around simple, percolating guitar and synth lines recall Young Marble Giants (“Memory Loss”).  Those tunes are beautiful, and there are so many others here, exuding enough melancholy and introspection that you’ll want to write poetry or walk on the beach when Clinging to a Scheme closes. The wistful, winding “This Time Around,” the shimmering and bittersweet “You Stopped Making Sense,” and the cheery “David” — a bright moment of hope — are enchanting highlights of this infectious record.