Singing Hatchet

Radar Bros. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 12, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 12, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Seethru Broadcasting
• ASIN: B00001X53L
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,807 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Many of these songs begin with the simple scrape of an acoustic guitar or solo piano, but they work their magic over slow-motion time, building to majestic choruses that fade again just as quickly. Singer Jim Putnam has the constricted nasal delivery of Neil Young, and the musical reference points range from early-'70s Pink Floyd to the sadcore sound of Red House Painters. However sweet the melodies, there's always an undercurrent of melancholy that Putnam can't, and patient listeners won't want to, shake. --Keith Moerer

Amazon.com

It's uncanny the way that the Radar Bros. have drawn their sound from early-'70s Pink Floyd albums like Obscured by Clouds and Meddle. And not so much those entire albums, but specific songs from them. The Singing Hatchet sounds like 12 different takes on those back-porch acoustic guitar and piano-laced plodders that dotted the aforementioned releases and were a transition between Floyd's wiggy, acid-drenched, late-'60s lunacy and their high-production epics of the mid- to late '70s. The Radar Bros. have used these songs as an archetype to craft their claustrophobic, laconic, and minor-chord-filled laments. Most of the vocals are double tracked with Pink Floyd-like harmonies and the album's production seemingly places them directly inside your skull. Tunes range from grandiose and somewhat orchestrated to downright depressing. They lope and shuffle like a rheumy mule--with downturned ears, bloodshot eyes, and all--maintaining a constant state of antimomentum that is profoundly mesmerizing. Comfortably numb? You bet. The Singing Hatchet ambles and meanders through the ether like a feverish yet somehow pleasant dream, occasionally stumbling into a nifty chorus every now and then, but mostly just humming a nice tune along the way. --Adem Tepedelen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Languid and Moody 2AM Treasure, January 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Singing Hatchet (Audio CD)

While much can be made of the hazy Floyd feel of this album, there is more to it. There is a persistent folk/country flavor which reminds me of Acetone and,in a vague way, Will Oldham without the vocal eccentricities and, relatively speaking, fuller arrangements.(okay okay so Jim sounds like Gilmore sometimes!) Also there are some slowcore tricks in the delivery where lines and words are stretched for dramatic effect. In a way, these songs are a post-rock take on blues rock with the mood invoking the feel without ever resorting to obvious blues riffs or delivery. This album crawls and only occasionally swells. It holds together so nicely I am at lost to pick any one song while some are more realized then others. So buy this album if you want smoldering and hazy. A great respite from all those arena rock sounds that claim to be the next greatest thing. This is the real deal. And don't forget to put it on repeat. These songs just get better and better every time I hear them. The Sleeper Album of 99!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beauty that gets under your skin, February 12, 2001

By 

"magicalex" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singing Hatchet (Audio CD)

I came around to this album a bit late - reviews led me to believe that it was just another slice of Lo-Fi americana. But please trust me this BEAUTIFUL album is much more than that. On first listening I thought wow this really melodic, but quite dark. On second listening I just thought wow this is really melodic.........

The clincher however came a few days after buying the album, I woke up one morning with a song in my head and couldn't work out where I'd heard it or if it even existed (It was so pure and beautiful - almost like a dream). It was only later in the day when I had the album on again that I realised the song in question did exist 'Find the Hour' was the song in question and I doubt I'll hear a more beautiful song all year long - buy this album.......................

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars goodness, this is beautiful..., January 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Singing Hatchet (Audio CD)

This album is something completely unexpected. Think of a mix between "we dance" era Pavement and the more polished moments of Will Oldham's genius. One reviewer mentioned the 'red house painters', and while I am a fan of the band, this is far less self indulgently miserable. While there is an overriding feeling of melancholy, the texture is far more folksy and piano driven. The pace of the album is slow and plodding...a enchanting listen from start to finish...