Radio Four--Classic or Dud?

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Just saw them last night, I dug it but I was a bit in the bag at the same time. Kind of reminded me of a cross between Joy Division and the Big Boys with a touch of happy mondays thrown in on the last few songs. Anyone else familiar?

― webcrack (music=crack), Thursday, 7 November 2002 23:48 (twenty-three years ago)

yes, I saw them at CMJ and thought they were fantastic. I'd like to see them again and to hear their recorded output.

I thought they sounded like Gang of 4 + the catchier parts of Big Audio
Dynamite without the annoying parts.

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 7 November 2002 23:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Recorded output ain't so hot.

― Yancey (ystrickler), Thursday, 7 November 2002 23:56 (twenty-three years ago)

good, then you won't miss it if you lend me your copies. I'll give em back, promise.

― felicity (felicity), Friday, 8 November 2002 00:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not too fond of their Gotham! album, which puts the focus on my least favorite element of the Radio 4 sound -- the whiny vocals.

I think the Gang of Four/PiL comparisons ultimately hurt them -- because people check out Radio 4 with these names in mind, and then they walk away saying "Oh come on, these clowns sound like INXS*." I know Radio 4 model themselves after the aforementioned postpunkahs, but the music they make doesn't fit so neatly into that genre, and that can be jarring for first-timers expecting detached/angular/dub/whatever.

I would say INXS, Liquid Liquid, and Remain in Light.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 8 November 2002 00:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Also, I find this funny: I saw Radio 4 several months ago, when there was a tiny bit of buzz around them, and the emcee was saying "This band is gonna be the next big thing! You watch! They're POISED FOR STARDOM!" And six months later, no one even mentions them in tandem with the New York scene anymore.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 8 November 2002 00:15 (twenty-three years ago)

I understand they have changed their lead singer/chanter fairly recently.

Anyway, I saw them unintentionally by happenstance with no prior notions of what they were supposed to sound like (they were sandwiched between the bands I meant to see) and they did remind me quite a bit of live Gang of 4. The recordings, however, may be completely different, as you say . . .

― felicity (felicity), Friday, 8 November 2002 00:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I first heard something by Radio 4 a couple of months ago... think it was from Gotham!, but I didn't really care for it. But I'm currently digging "The Movies," their track on the In Our Lifetime Vol. 2 comp CD on Fenway Recordings. As Felicity says, quite reminiscent of Gang of Four. Now I am curious to see them live, as well.

― Jen (nstop), Friday, 8 November 2002 01:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I have a copy of their Dance to the Underground EP, which I love. Haven't heard all of Gotham, but the bit that I heard didn't impress me nearly as much, so I haven't bought it yet. Anyway, on the EP, the title song & bits of Caroline are excellent.

― lyra (lyra), Friday, 8 November 2002 01:45 (twenty-three years ago)

The only thing I've heard is Gotham! which I listened to quite a bit, but was never bowled over by. I find it really over-produced, and sounds too "Modern Rock", as opposed to the stripped down disco punk stuff they keep getting mentioned in tandem with. If everything on that album was a good as "Struggle" or "New Disco", I'd probably have a higher opinion of them. Never seen 'em live, though....

― Vic Funk, Friday, 8 November 2002 02:07 (twenty-three years ago)

I actually really enjoy Gotham (especially "Struggle" and "Start A Fire") - the INXS comparison is interesting though because I'd never thought of them while listening to the album, but in fact it's spot on. It's also not as damning as it sounds - it's not like we're talking about Elegantly Wasted or something.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 8 November 2002 02:25 (twenty-three years ago)

On the strength of Gotham, DUD! It might not be their fault that they're being pushed as a disco-punk collision in the post punk style, but they're an intensely average rock band who I wouldn't have heard of if they hadn't been. It's sub-Offspring punk-pop masquerading as elliptical social commentary, definitely on the wrong side of the divide between Clash-style obviousness and PiL-style obliquness for my liking.

DFA pull every trick out of the bag, to the point where it's actually funny - halfway through the "Our Town", with its cavernous bass, splashy cymbals, powdery snares, strings, pianos and distorted vocals, you just kind of shout "stop, where's the song?!" But there's none of the genre-mashing tension Liars and The Rapture actually pull off in its place - the fancy sounds are just confectionary on top of bad three-chord songs.

They sound a bit like Gang of Four who were the most boring band of their era/scene.

― Leo Lonergan (Leo), Friday, 8 November 2002 08:47 (twenty-three years ago)

This album is great. It's in my top 3 for the year. INXS?
No comparision. I feel they do Gang of 4 but only better. Look here comes the shit. Maybe not the lyrics. But the album is filled with energy and great song writing. Name some better albums than this for the past year I would like to check them out. R4 rocks! haha

― rob from radio4, Friday, 8 November 2002 15:38 (twenty-three years ago)

They are better than the Liars and rapture (boring no skill). Way better song writing. Take the tension up your .

― jojo, Friday, 8 November 2002 15:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I like Gotham a lot.

― Aaron W, Friday, 8 November 2002 15:57 (twenty-three years ago)

unimaginative, rip off band. usual suspects....at home he's a tourist.

― gage-o, Friday, 8 November 2002 16:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Sure, you can borrow my stuff, Felicity. Email me.

Oddly: I was emailing with Hugo Burnham (ex-Gang of Four drummer) a few months ago for an article, and he said that he had accidentally scene Radio 4 (as in not knowing who they were) and found watching them "eerie."

― Yancey (ystrickler), Friday, 8 November 2002 16:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Yancey-- Was it anything like Gary Numan's quote after being played Adult.?

"It's like being 18 again! I don't mean to be horrible, but it's what was in the early '80s. It could be anybody from the early '80s. If you wanted to sit down and copy it and do a really, really good job of sounding the way they did then, that's it. That's it!"

― Aaron W, Friday, 8 November 2002 16:22 (twenty-three years ago)

All I've heard is Gotham, which I do like. Anyone else hear Mission of Burma in their sound along with Pil/GOF? "Certain Tragedy" could easily fit in on the Forget comp...

I also like the (unintentional?) ambiguity of the line "come in on the 1 and 9" in "New Disco" - it's a subway line AND one of the main thoroughfares into NYC from New Jersey.

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 8 November 2002 16:35 (twenty-three years ago)

I listen to the today program most days but i think the comedy has really gone down hill recently

sorry

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Friday, 8 November 2002 17:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Basslines sound more Pixies than anything else.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 8 November 2002 17:24 (twenty-three years ago)

And I hear no mission of burma at all.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 8 November 2002 17:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Their first album How The Stars Got Crossed is far superior to the heavier, fuzzier Gotham. It's a much more crisp and precise distilling of the late 70's UK vibe - I hear Joe Jackson, Gang of 4, Clash. Every song has its merits but "Boy Meets Girl," "How The Stars Got Crossed," "Get Set To Fall Out," and "Communication" are the standouts.

Gotham was a huge disappointment, the songs are there but are buried under a huge heavy raw bass-drum type sound. A mess.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Friday, 8 November 2002 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Radio 4 are fun to dance to!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 8 November 2002 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

I just got Gotham! and I like it. The recording quality is awful, but it sounds enough like what I remember seeing that I like it.

Maybe I have weird post-punk filters in my head but Radio 4's derivative sound appeals to me. It would get tiresome fast if it weren't for the fact that they write proper songs, with verses and structure and everything. Lately I can't stand noodlerock (like Joseph Arthur) -- dance and downtempo do "mood" music so much better. I can see how his voice could get annoying if you were a big fan of singer-songwriter music, but I don't mind it in this context.

I'd love to see them again. New Yorkers, let me know if you hear of another show.

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 23 January 2003 13:55 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

June 4 at Bowery Ballroom. I am so there.

More thoughts on Radio 4:

Radio 4

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 17 April 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

You still going to the show tomorrow, felicity? I'll be there (more for Calla & Rogers Sisters tho).

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 3 June 2003 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes! Can't wait. Thank you for lending me the early Radio 4 product -- I'll bring it (and your $10).

Are you going to the Thursday nite of DFA hysteria too?

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 02:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm going tomorrow night too thanks to a good friend (and her +1). Perhaps I'll see y'all there?

― hstencil, Wednesday, 4 June 2003 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked their first record, haven't heard "Gotham" yet.

I agree that they sound as much like the first Joe Jackson album as Gof4, especially "The Stars Got Crossed".

― earlnash, Wednesday, 4 June 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I'll be at DFA Nite too.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe we should have a calla/rogers sisters fap... hstencil, didn't you say something about going to max fish?

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

let's go to the pink pony!

(not really)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

only if jim jarmusch is there!

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

oh so calla's playing a short acoustic set tonight cuz wayne, their drummer, is at his sis' wedding in texas. not sure how that will go over, seeing how energetic r4 and rs are...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"BOOOOO! GET OFF THE STAGE HIPPIES!!!"

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

nah. everyone will be too busy tweakin to do much yellin

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe we should have a calla/rogers sisters fap... hstencil, didn't you say something about going to max fish?

A drink at Max Fish would be nice. Does anyone know the approximate set times?

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

9: Calla
10: Rogers Sisters
11: Radio 4

I dunno if I can meet up beforehand tho.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks for the info -- very helpful.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I will be attending Part 2 of the DFA Mass Hysteria.

― Mary (Mary), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

hstencil seems to be mia, so i don't know if he's still into that idea. but he's my +1, so he's kind of at my mercy. i was gonna suggest 8@ max fish for a quick drink.Ë‡

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

8 o'clock Max Fish, if y'all can make it. My friend Mr. Joshua Wildman is supposed to have an exhibit of his award-winning 1990s photography up, so that might be good for a larf.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 4 June 2003 20:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Sounds fun! I'll stop by -- see you later.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

how wuz rogers sisters & radio 4? (i left early after calla's shitty set)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Rogers Sisters were great. I'm not really into too much new wave-y stuff, but they had a ton of energy and were fun to watch (kinda fascinating as I'd never seen 'em before, and I know Jen and Laura from way back in the Ruby Falls days - so obv. this is completely different). Nice flattened-out, new wave-y cover of "Zig Zag Wanderer" too. Man I have a crush on Laura Rogers like you wouldn't believe (I think going on 8 years or more at this point - ugh I'm a doofus).

Radio 4, egh. Left in the middle of the second song. Painfully un-funky. Singing in a British accent even though you're American = DUD.

― hstencil, Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I've seen RS once before and liked it aight... R4 I've seen a few times, always been shitty. Instead I went home and watched basketball. I guess it's a draw.

(that was the worst that Calla has played (and I've seen 'em ~25 times): they ain't cut for the acoustic thang)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Laura Rogers = eminently crush-worthy

Miyuki too, for that matter

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Yanc3, I didn't think Calla was all that bad, but then again that's the first time I've ever heard 'em. Nice Springsteen cover. Oh and Echo too (though I like that song better with strings).

Laura Rogers = eminently crush-worthy

*sigh*

― hstencil, Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm hard on 'em I guess cuz I know them so well. I'll give you my Calla greatest hits disc next time I see you. The Springsteen cover is much better electric. Aurelio lets loose an ebow on his hollowbody so there's screaming noise throughout. Good shit.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think I've heard a proper track of theirs, but that DFA remix of "Dance to the Underground" on the Muzik compilation was post-punk-house-tastic.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 5 June 2003 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

It was nice to see hstencil and to meet Lauren. Sorry I missed you, Yanc3. I went to eat clams and linguine during Calla's set.

I liked Rogers Sisters. They had good sound. I like the song about digging a hole where the house used to be or whatever when they go "Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!"

I don't care what anyone says, I liked Radio 4. I think maybe the sound guy had too much bass in the mix but I'm always complaining about that, crank crank. I know he doesn't sing in a drawl or anything but I didn't hear an English accent. "Certain Tragedy" was good. I kept wanting to leave because it was late but then it would be like, oh wait, I like this song too.

Tonight we'll see what this Ratpure business is all about. Yanc3, you are going, yes?

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 5 June 2003 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, I will be at the Rapture tonight with Pete (who u played cards with), Michael (who u also played cards with) and Lavina (who u met in Chelsea that one day).

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 17:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Cool, see you all there with Mary (who u know).

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 5 June 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

did it get any better last night, ladies?

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 6 June 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 6 June 2003 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

truer words...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 6 June 2003 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

& ya know what? i'm not one to get particularly bothered by a "scene," but i did feel kinda icky last night.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 6 June 2003 14:57 (twenty-two years ago)

i spent most of last night hiding under the turntables. what is this "icky scene" of which you speak? does it have anything to do with tubetops and leggings and miniskirts and stripes?

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 6 June 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

hahahaha! Oh lord, not stripes! Thanks for taking me to the show Wednesday, lauren.

― hstencil, Friday, 6 June 2003 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

it may very well, lauren. i actually left early cuz the show wuz so loud and shrill it MADE MY EARS NOT WORK and cuz i didn't think the boyz were playing particularly well...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 6 June 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

(haha, 2 straight shows i've left early. i'm lame)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 6 June 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

LCD Soundsystem confused me by James Murphy not speaking in an English accent. Is he not English?

I liked the Psychedelic Furs song the Rapture opened with. And we got free Faders from the Fader truck, hooray!

― felicity (felicity), Friday, 6 June 2003 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

James Murphy is from New York. He used to be in the crappy indie band Pony. And he's engineered a lot of records (June of 44, Six Finger Satellite, etc.).

― hstencil, Friday, 6 June 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

murph's a yank. goldsworthy's the brit.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 6 June 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

um, murphy is actually from new jersey. and how could you forget speed king! get it right next time before you open your mouth, hstencil!

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 6 June 2003 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Jersey, New York, it's all the same to those of us from flyover states. Yeah and I forgot Speed King. Unfortunately I never got to hear them.

― hstencil, Friday, 6 June 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

so what do you lot make of Radio 4 now? I can't remember reading another thread that flipped back so much between: they're great / they're crap / they're actually good / no they're not / etc

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

They're 'quite good'. Which is pretty much damning with faint praise. Great idea, shame about the tunes.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Congdon

this fucking guy. i remember him being interviewed during the crisis three years ago saying nothing is wrong. he seems to be mental, but they continue to seek his advice. and lol and behold he's a UKIPer. bloody left-wing bbc bias.

― all the small zings (history mayne), Monday, 12 September 2011 08:02 (fourteen years ago)

dude this thread is the shit grunge band Radio 4 not the shit right wing radio station.

― Stories from Hull City, Stories from Hull FC (Noodle Vague), Monday, 12 September 2011 08:20 (fourteen years ago)

anyway, UKIP are a bunch of mung-bean eating cuddlebunnies compared to The Freedom Association.

― Stories from Hull City, Stories from Hull FC (Noodle Vague), Monday, 12 September 2011 08:22 (fourteen years ago)

Gotham is a pretty fun record. The rest of their stuff: no thanks.

The Freedom Association was apparently founded by right-wing nutjob and Record Breakers record validator Norris McWhirter.

― good luck in your pyramid (Neil S), Monday, 12 September 2011 08:56 (fourteen years ago)

And his record breaking vaolidator brother Ross. It was their rightwing activities that caused Ross to be killed by the IRA in 1975 (he wanted all Irish people in the UK to be registered with the plouce, and offered rewards for capture of IRA members). At six, though, I didn't understand that. I just thought the IRA had struck at the heart of children's television, and that this was - truly - terror without restraint.

― Trudi Styler, the Creator (ithappens), Monday, 12 September 2011 09:30 (fourteen years ago)

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