Illustrated Garden

Radar Bros. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B0036BDQJW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,680 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of 2010, December 23, 2010

By 

C. Miller (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illustrated Garden (Audio CD)

This is one of my favorite releases of 2010. While all of the Radar Brothers albums have been very good, the two new band members give this one a new energy. Possibly my favorite since "And the Surrounding Mountains". Fans of the Radar Brothers should definitely check out Jim Putnam's "Mt. Wilson Repeater", which is completely different but very complementary.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best kept secrets in current popular music in my never so humble opinion, February 1, 2011

By 

BD Wong "BD Wong" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illustrated Garden (Audio CD)

A few years back while hanging around the sales table at a radar bros show, a guy was trying to explain to a friend how their then new release And the Surrounding Mountains was different from their first two albums. He described it as `larger' which I think pretty well sums up their development as a band over the years. Some of the newer songs have an anthem-like quality that would easily make them big closers on other albums. Part of that has to do with tempo. Their early releases fit right in the middle the slow core movement sometimes also called chill wave. Lead brother Jim Putnam apparently didn't see the relationship, but as fine as the first few releases were, the tempos certainly were s-l-o-w-e-r.....t-h-a-n ....m-o-s-t... to these ears. While the tempos are generally faster these days, sometimes even uplifting, there's still a measured quality that is one of the building blocks of some of their more grandiose moments. Add to that what I at least hear as influences filtered through their wistful melancholy style to create a sound uniquely theirs. There's no denying the Pink Floyd influence. The music has a breezy relaxed sound. There's also a decent amount of a late period Beatles thing going on at times. Think in terms of taking a great lick like the chiming guitars at the end of You Never Give Me Your Money and building that into an album ending monster. Okay, I know, I'm going off the deep end here. They are certainly lower key in approach and more down to earth than that. But when this band's music sweeps you off your feet, which it does most of the time for me on The Illustrated Garden, the effect is simply sublime.