Radar Brothers - Surrounding Mountains

  by Cara Ross

published: 6 / 6 / 2002

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This is the third release and second on the Chemikal Underground label in Glasgow from California’s Radar Brothers. In fact, it is three years now since their last release, 'The Singing Hatchet', an album which has rarely left my turntable the last couple of years, and as such, a new release that I was incredibly anxious for. I’m glad that the Radar Bros. weren’t around when I was still in high school. I had enough teen angst and depressive problems without an album like 'The Singing Hatchet' putting me over the edge. But listening to the Radar Bros. makes me want to feel that way again, paralyzed on my bed, staring at the ceiling, just listening. It is one of the saddest albums going, but a Catch 22 in that they manage to make the pain of living so sweet, and the heart-wrenching agony in listening to their music makes you want to still further that pain. So it was with all of this trepidation that I came to listen to their latest:'And the Surrounding Mountains'. It definitely starts out more “Pink Floyd” than the last, is decidedly less pretentious than the likes of Will Oldham, and even at times manages to evoke images of Canada’s Rheostatics. It is by no means as depressing as 'The Singing Hatchet', and has an overall much fuller, more produced sound, which is far thicker indeed than the sometimes almost inaudible moments of former album. It is not nearly as bare bones, and even at times, dare I say, “rollicking” (these things are relative, of course). But as with 'The Singing Hatchet', through almost all of it there is that same organ in the background giving 'And the Surrounding Mountains' its church hymnal feel, with some of the creepier parts being played and “sung” backwards. 'And the Surrounding Mountains' comes across easily as the most obvious possible progression from 'The Singing Hatchet'. Slow core, Sad-core, call it what you will...I think 40 or 50 years ago this would have simply been considered country music, and after garage music’s recent resurgence I can only assume that indie folk-rock will be the next thing to go. The fact that frontman Jim Putnam apparently has an affinity for the Zombies, just makes further insight into the Radar Bros. all the more enchanting. Some of the gems here are 'Rock of the Lake', and 'The Wake of All that’s Past' which holds some of the more truly beautiful moments on this album. As leery as I was about a follow-up to 'The Singing Hatchet', 'And the Surrounding Mountains' manages to best it in an entirely different haunting way. I had a really full stomach the last time I listened to this album and it made me drowsy...like eating a 10 pound turkey all to myself, the Radar Bros. will drug you in just that same satisfying way.

Track Listing:-

1 You And The Father
2 On The Line
3 This Xmas Eve
4 Rock Of The Lake
5 Sisters
6 Uncles
7 Still Evil
8 The Wake Of All That's Past
9 Camplight
10 Mothers
11 Mountains
12 Morning Song

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