The Swedish invasion continues when The Radio Dept. hit Rock & Roll Hotel on Tuesday night. These veterans of the scene emerged from the Swedish underground with their murky guitar pop and shoegazer sensibilities almost a decade ago with their critical darling debut “Lesser Matters”. It has been interesting to see this group change, regroup, and evolve over the last ten years; as they have moved away from guitars and more towards synthesizers and keyboards. Not without hitting a few critical speed-bumps along the way, I might add.

The Radio Dept. sort of stunned people then when they emerged last year with their best album yet. “Clinging to a Scheme” put The Radio Dept. back on everyone’s radar with its masterful mix of guitar and synthesizers. On the heels of their new found critical success, The Radio Dept. have released “Passive Aggressive”, a two-disc career retrospective that illustrates the evolution of their sound perfectly. Comparing any two sonic points in the band’s career shows that dedication to atmosphere and texture has been their main modus operandi all along. Whatever instruments they use, The Radio Dept. are going to make layered, beautiful sounds with them.

Joining The Radio Dept. in this celebration of all things fuzzed and feedback drenched is San Francisco shoegazers Young Prisms. This is concert is going to be one robust feast for the ears.

The Radio Dept.
w/ Young Prisms
@ Rock & Roll Hotel
8pm – 2/1/11
advance $12, door $14

Michael Darpino

Michael splits his free time between defending the little guy and championing the underdog. He has been haunting the concert halls, dive bars, and greasy spoons of DC for the last 16 years. His interests include live rock music, researching obscure military/political conflicts, and good hamburgers. He is a friendly grump, has wisdom beyond his years, and is on a life-long quest to attain music nirvana. Follow him on Twitter if you dare!