View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 3.5 (39 ratings)
- Date Released: January 29, 2008
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Merge Records
Animal-obsessed slowcore group continues to innovate on their sound.
-
We Say...
The Radar Bros. always seemed like more than just another slowcore band. Despite what detractors have written, each of the trio’s four previous albums had some measure of dynamics — a few bright melodies and a dark playfulness in the lyrics that you don’t find in the more precious songs of bands like Bedhead or Low. You could say the Radars are more Coen Brothers than Emily Dickinson.
Take “Hills of Stone,” the centerpiece of the group’s latest album, Auditorium. In a cinematic wash of piano and electronics, front man Jim Putnam sings of a backwoods drowning. He does so very casually, and the interplay of faint background vocals and occasional guitar riff pushes the song to the edge of insanity, as if it were Alice Cooper’s “Ballad of Dwight Fry” funneled through The Dark Side of the Moon. That tone is amplified in “Lake Life,” where bouncy melody and sweet harmonies get twisted by a spooky Theremin and buzzing baritone sax.
If there’s a weakness here, it’s Putnam’s belaboring of themes in the lyrics; throughout Auditorium, he seems obsessed with animals, mentioning dogs, lambs, crows, fish and lots of rabbits. It’s a minor quibble for an album whose words serve more as sonic texture than great poetry. This is a case when burying the vocals might not be a bad idea. -
They Say...
With touring guitarist Jeff Palmer now a permanent member of the band, the Radar Bros. refashioned themselves as a quartet for 2008's Auditorium. Apart from the expanded lineup, however, nothing much else has changed, since the Bros. still sound too languid to venture outside their slowcore comfort zone. They excel at crafting dreamy ballads that owe as much to sedatives as Pink Floyd's "Breathe," complete with sleepy-eyed synth swells and jarring, left-field lyrics ("I keep drinking your tailgate piss, it's you I miss"). The shtick is still effective, but it's also old, as this is the same recipe the Radar Bros. used to cook up their four previous slabs of half-baked indie rock. Like Codeine on codeine, Auditorium could nicely orchestrate a lazy afternoon spent sleeping in the summer sun, yet the album mostly sounds too leisurely for its own good. Songs meld together, guitar lines fade from memory, and melodies drift in one ear and out the other. There's little diversity here to jar the listener awake, only pleasantly smooth tunes for those seeking to turn on, tune in, and drop out. Returning fans with an insatiable craving for new material won't necessarily be crushed, but those seeking to delve into the band's catalog would do better to pick up 2002's And the Surrounding Mountains, where the songs climb skyward before crashing back to mundane sea level.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
When Cold Air Goes To Sleep |
4:41 |
|
| 02. | |
Warm Rising Sun |
3:26 |
|
| 03. | |
Happy Spirits |
4:02 |
|
| 04. | |
Hearts of Crows |
4:02 |
|
| 05. | |
On Nautilus |
2:54 |
|
| 06. | |
Hills Of Stone |
3:53 |
|
| 07. | |
Lake Life |
4:04 |
|
| 08. | |
Watching Cows |
4:39 |
|
| 09. | |
Pomona |
3:57 |
|
| 10. | |
A Dog Named Ohio |
3:24 |
|
| 11. | |
Brother Rabbit |
3:32 |
|
| 12. | |
Morning Bird |
3:31 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 46:05 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Radar Bros., check out these member playlists
Credits
- Jeff Palmer - Guitar // Jeff Palmer - Guitar // Jeff Palmer - Drums // Jeff Palmer - Drums // Jeff Palmer - Keyboards // Jeff Palmer - Keyboards // Jeff Palmer - Saw // Jeff Palmer - Saw // Jeff Palmer - Bass Harmonica // Jeff Palmer - Bass Harmonica // Jim Putnam - Synthesizer // Jim Putnam - Guitar // Jim Putnam - Piano // Jim Putnam - Vocals // Jim Putnam - Engineer // Mark Chalecki - Mastering // Steve Goodfriend - Percussion // Steve Goodfriend - Drums // Senon Gaius Williams - Percussion // Senon Gaius Williams - Guitar (Bass) // Alyson West - Management
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC