It’s dawned on me that the first single from the forthcoming Radar Bros. album was distributed by Merge Records in January, but having been totally swept up by our trip to Thailand (and the ensuing gallbladder removal upon our return), I let it slip through the cracks of this site.
I need to rectify that now because I’ve always felt Jim Putnam’s band has been sadly overlooked by bloggers. To wit: A search on Hype Machine shows just seven mentions of Radar Bros. in 2010. That’s too bad. I guess Putnam needs to reinvent himself as a “chillwave” artist to get any attention.
For what it’s worth, Putnam has sort of reinvented himself for the new album (the band’s sixth), The Illustrated Garden, due out March 23. He’s joined by new members Be Hussey (bass) and Stevie Treichel (drums). (Former bassist and original member Senon Williams left to, I presume, devote his time to Dengue Fever.) The new rhythm section folds seamlessly into Putnam’s breezy compositions – longtime fans will feel perfectly comfortable with The Illustrated Garden – but the new Bros. help push the tempo in spots, like with the galloping beat on Horses Warriors or bright tones on Rainbow.
You can stream the full album at Merge’s site.
do you find it difficult writing about mediocre music sometimes? you can’t always be excited, you know?
If you have some time, I think you might like my free folk music blog:
Check out: thepursuitoffolk.blogspot.com
Thanks for looking, I really appreciate it!
🙂