The Fallen Leaf Pages

Radar Bros.

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 22, 2005)
• Original Release Date: March 22, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B0007NMK58
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,964 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Most rock and roll bands have one particular sound, and they spend their careers trying either to refine it or run away from it (often losing themselves--what made them interesting--in the process). The Radar Bros. fall firmly in the former camp; they’re like the painter that works in the same style and with the same palette and using the same imagery for years on end. Warbly, lushly multi-tracked vocals sing lullaby lyrics of death and despair and heartbreak and the ironies inherent in the postmodern condition. Melodic, minor-keyed guitar lines snake in and out of slow-going, pleasant, Pink-Floyd-meets-Crazy-Horse tunes, while layers of strings and keyboards accompany the whole shebang sweetly, and slowly. The Radar Bros. have perfected a certain kind of moody, lay on your back and dream the world away kind of music, and it’s hard to fault them for not changing a gosh-darn thing on this, their fourth album. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hot night, crows fight, beetles in the firelight, April 20, 2005

By	train rider (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

I loved the first Radar Bros. album and was so attached to it I couldn't quite get into The Singing Hatchet, though I look forward to returning to it now. Lost track for a while from there. Now listening to this new album I am thrilled. There's something joyful about it, something alert, even with the characteristic drowsy feel and moribund themes. Yes, and warm, and wise. The first few and last few songs I can't stop listening to. "To remember" is maybe my favorite on the album, though the first song takes me in every time (is that Joanna Newsom doing backing vocals? I think so). Papillon seems to be part of my life now, with "hot night, crows fight, beetles in the firelight." The final song makes me choke up (wonderful pacing of lyrics, each word changing the meaning of the last). The tenth song "show yourself" is glorious, and the rest, well, I'm still taking them in. Great stuff.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fantastic find., February 16, 2007

By	fluffy, the human being. (forest lake, mn) - See all my reviews

this band was a real pleasing find. music that sounds like it has been with me all of my life, yet i can't quite compare it to any other band. the 2nd half of the album does remind me a bit of an indie-rock pink floyd. lots of tasteful guitar and piano and winning melodic songs. not a quiet album, but definitely on the laid-back side of things. i highly recommend that you take a chance on this excellent band.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Band, August 12, 2006

By	D. Fay (Laramie, WY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since discovering this album more than a year ago, the Radar Brothers have become one of my favorite all-time bands. Which, is surprising, as I'm in my forties and not inclined to latch onto new bands, particularly ones with such obvious influences from my youth. In any given song, one may hear hints of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, or even the Moody Blues. However, the Radar Brothers are in no way derivative. They seamlessly synthesize these influences to into something new and poignantly beautiful. And the more I listen, the more convinced and fanatical I become about their genius...

The Radar Brothers have three albums that have become integral soundtracks to my daily life. The Fallen Leaf Pages, The Surrounding Mountains, and The Singing Hatchet. Gradewise, I rank them A+, A++, and A, respectively. Their earlier independent (non-Merge) effort is worth picking up once you've become a devotee, but it doesn't have the consistent quality of the most recent three.

By all accounts, I have overplayed their last three albums to the point where tedium and boredom, not to mention irritation, should have long since set in. Yet for some reason it hasn't. Although not overly complex, their music has a depth and gravity. Their lyrics are ever elusive in their meanings. Their melodic lines (and boy can these guys do melody), never lose their freshness. Every listen leaves me wanting more. Especially when driving, I find that I have the capacity to listen to the same album twice over, something I that ordinarily never do.

In short, I love this band. More accurately, "I am in love with this band". And I would add, I am not the only one. Several people that I work with, not to mention my wife, have become equally fanatical.