Beauty that gets under your skin
magicalex | 02/13/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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......................."
Slow and steady wins the race
dresneer | Basking Ridge, NJ United States | 07/22/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"After seeing them live in NYC, my girlfriend (who had never heard of Radar Bros) said "they're good, but I was afraid they were going to hypnotize me." This odd description of the band seems to apply best to their second LP, the Singing Hatchet.The album is a collection of 12 melodic, relaxing songs with an unsettling hint of sadness (which are nothing more than a series of well placed minor chords.)It starts off with the highly experimental and weak "Tar the Roofs", which only seems to slightly fit the album. While not everybody would agree with me, this track should have been left off. Luckily, this is where the mediocrity of the album ends."Shifty Lies" is the Radar Bros at their best, with its subdued verses and rousing chorus. Other highlights include Shoveling Sons, Open Ocean Sailing, You're on an Island, and Find the Hour.The album as a whole has the odd ability to have ach song sound identical to the previous, but each one is distinctly different. Essentially, this is an album, unlike most bands who release a compilation of songs, the Radar Bros create a slew of songs that blend and fit together so well you may not notice when one track ends and the other begins.If you're still unsure as to whether or not to check the album out, Amazon does offer free mp3s of "Shifty Lies" and "Open Ocean Sailing". Though these are some of the more "upbeat" songs of the record, they are a great cross-section of the Singing Hatchet."