Radar Brothers
And the Surrounding Mountains
Merge
The Radar Brothers are a California-based hipster group that plays alt-country music. If the songs on And the Surrounding Mountains were distorted and sped up, you could probably call them “emocore” (but then again, Dashboard Confessional is considered by many as emocore…). To be frankly honest, this CD is very boring and numbing, but in a pleasant way.
All of the songs here sound pretty much the same: folky, subdued country pop with whiny vocals and a terribly lazy mood. This is a record that is probably best for summertime listening; I imagine the best place to be sitting under a large oak tree, on a warm summer afternoon, just staring into the depths of the deep blue sky. This record would probably be good for listening to on long drives; I remember listening to Chamberlain with old friends on long drives, and I never really liked Chamberlain back then, but the music totally suited the mood. The same can be said for this record and hot, lazy summer days.
It seems weird that California hipsters would make music like this, but Radar Brothers have been going at it for over eight years now, so they’re not riding anyone’s coattails. If you’ve been curious about alt-country stuff, or are a novice fan of Old 97’s, Adam Dove, or others in this genre, you’ll probably love this. If you’re looking to rock out, give this one a pass.
Merge Records: http://www.mergerecords.com
