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Radar Brothers, "And the Surrounding Mountains"
Merge
Radar Brothers create slo-core guitar music with almost saccharinevocals and harmonies on top, songs that explore a variety of subjectswith aplomb and spirit. Members Jim Putnam, Senon Williams, and SteveGoodfriend have been in or worked with bands as diverse as Medicine,The For Carnation, Matmos and Maids of Gravity, and the music theycreate now makes them out to be a modern version of The Band.Everything is rooted in a melancholy beauty, but everything has a hopeor dignity to it that breaks through and keeps you warm. In otherwords, these songs are not full of complicated arrangements or densesubject matter that will be lost on you. So the trick is to not borethe hell out of the listener, and to not sound entirely formulaic.Radar Brothers do this admirably on this, their third full-length andfirst for Merge, sounding familiar but not like they're copyingsomeone, and making the most of their slight sound. Keyboards are addedfor effect, guitars fuzz and wail, and all while the music just lopesalong. They do manage to be pretty chilling here, as well, as at leasttwo songs deal with murder or savage killing: "They've been missing fora week/but here the weapon looks clean/too bad the older sisters aretaking it home" on 'Sisters' and "for you are still evil in my swordyou'll be caught" on 'Still Evil'. It's very cohesive, mostly quaint,and beautifully executed music from a band that has no business beingbased in Los Angeles. It is worth your time, I assure you.
Radar Brothers create slo-core guitar music with almost saccharinevocals and harmonies on top, songs that explore a variety of subjectswith aplomb and spirit. Members Jim Putnam, Senon Williams, and SteveGoodfriend have been in or worked with bands as diverse as Medicine,The For Carnation, Matmos and Maids of Gravity, and the music theycreate now makes them out to be a modern version of The Band.Everything is rooted in a melancholy beauty, but everything has a hopeor dignity to it that breaks through and keeps you warm. In otherwords, these songs are not full of complicated arrangements or densesubject matter that will be lost on you. So the trick is to not borethe hell out of the listener, and to not sound entirely formulaic.Radar Brothers do this admirably on this, their third full-length andfirst for Merge, sounding familiar but not like they're copyingsomeone, and making the most of their slight sound. Keyboards are addedfor effect, guitars fuzz and wail, and all while the music just lopesalong. They do manage to be pretty chilling here, as well, as at leasttwo songs deal with murder or savage killing: "They've been missing fora week/but here the weapon looks clean/too bad the older sisters aretaking it home" on 'Sisters' and "for you are still evil in my swordyou'll be caught" on 'Still Evil'. It's very cohesive, mostly quaint,and beautifully executed music from a band that has no business beingbased in Los Angeles. It is worth your time, I assure you.
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