A labrador is known to be a very soft and kind dog so it’s not really a surprise that Labrador Records deals almost exclusively in mellow and dreamy indiepop. Take The Radio Dept. for example and their follow-up album to 2006’s “Pet Grief”.
Not counting “Domestic Scene” (which is basically a short intro), “Heaven’s On Fire” starts off with a sound clip telling us all how about how the world is going to shit because the youth culture is being taken over by big business. It sounds like it should go straight into some pissed off hardcore advertising DIY ethics but instead it moves into shoegazer meets electronics-enhanced indiepop. It works well for them and for a couple of songs they manage to sound like the missing link between Cocteau Twins and the Pet Shop Boys. “Never Follow Suit” is the album’s highlight for me with it’s reggae-like rhythms.
But then songs start to blend together and it’s harder to stay focused. It’s not that this is a bad album, not at all. It could be a lot better though if they would just spice things up a little every now and then. With a couple more songs like “Never Follow Suit” and “Memory Loss”, this would’ve been a very different review. For now though things are a little too hazy, misty and dreamy for me.
Score: 6.5 out of 10
http://www.labrador.se
http://www.theradiodept.com
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