I like to think of this band from Lund, Sweden, as like a Velamint. On the good side, that means they’re smooth, cool, minty, sweet, refreshing, and maybe even a little obscure. On the less good side, their reliable utility as a pop flavor (and their rarity) has made them a little forgettable.
Here’s hoping that Clinging to a Scheme has that little extra drop of retsin that will launch them to Certs levels of notoriety. Phoenix fans will swoon over the shimmying, glimmering flawless dreampop of “Heaven’s on Fire.” Any Broken Social Scene badge carrier would love the thick, woolen textures of “This Time Around,” with its burly melody loping left, loping right. Death Cabbers and Postal Service holder-outers should rush to meet the icy-cool freshness of “David.” And the Kings of Convenience fans out there have probably already stolen this — so I hope you’re enjoying it.
If Clinging is at all a departure from the Radio Dept.’s previous pleasantries, it’s along the two most valuable vectors: outward and upward. Although their sound has always seemed certain, it’s never been this clear. And when album closer “You Stopped Making Sense” finds Johan Duncanson crooning through chilly reverb, “I wanna come closer,” you can’t help feel that, at the very least, he’s succeeded in that.
