Radar Bros.


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Radar Bros.
Singing Hatchet
Release Date: 1999 09 28
Label: Chemikal
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The Radar Bros.' second album The Singing Hatchet delivers more of their quietly quixotic, psychedelically rootsy songs, which roll along like tumbleweeds: shambling and seemingly fragile, yet surprisingly strong. Crackling static, solemn pianos, doleful mellotrons, and chiming guitars support the rambling, almost weightless melodies of songs like "Shifty Lies," "You've Been Hired," and "Tar the Roofs" and the clean production shows off the songs' expressive arrangements -- "Shoveling Sons"' guitars sparkle like dust motes in the sunlight. Musically and lyrically, The Singing Hatchet often manages to be poignant, spooky, and funny all at once; Jim Putnam's mournful upper register makes vaguely disturbing lines like "All the Ghosts"' "Eyes are painted shut and we won't come clean" even more unsettling, while "Open Ocean Sailing"'s lament "fight the ways of a slow production day" hints at emotional truths without tipping the entire hand. Somnambulistic reflections like "The Pilgrim," spaced-out spaghetti western soundtracks like "Five Miles," and sweeping epics like the aforementioned "Open Ocean Sailing" and "You're on an Island" make this release a surprisingly diverse album, while the songs' relatively concise lengths make it surprisingly coherent. A shabbily majestic, subtly accomplished work, The Singing Hatchet doesn't wear its heart on its sleeve, but it's in the right place. Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Tracks:
TitleComposerTime
1Tar the RoofsRadar Brothers2:08
2Shiftly LiesRadar Brothers4:26
3Shoveling SonsRadar Brothers3:41
4All the GhostsRadar Brothers3:02
5Find the HourRadar Brothers5:04
6You're on an IslandRadar Brothers3:43
7PilgrimRadar Brothers3:49
8You've Been HiredRadar Brothers2:54
9To Be Free AgainRadar Brothers2:20
10Five MilesRadar Brothers5:18
11Open Ocean SailingRadar Brothers4:14
12Gas Station DownsRadar Brothers4:45







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