Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

Sunday Cleaning – Volume 84

Radar Bros / Auditorium (Merge)

Even though Auditorium is the first of their three five albums that I’ve heard from the Radar Bros., I feel pretty confident in saying that it doesn’t stray too far from its predecessors in style or sound. Because if it could be summed up in a single word, that word would be “comfortable”. The Los Angeles quartet trade in sweet and shimmery, distinctly Californian country-pop that’s utterly laid back, chilled out and worn in like and old pair of jeans. Like mid-era Wilco or early Big Star lying on the beach, watching the sun set with a burrito in one had and joint in the other.

MP3: Radar Bros. – “Warm Rising Sun”
Video: Radar Bros. – “When Cold Air Goes To Sleep”
Stream: Radar Bros. / Auditorium
MySpace: Radar Bros.

Biirdie / Catherine Avenue (Love Minus Zero)

The second album from Biirdie is also evocative of the Golden State, also watching the sun set but from a rooftop in the city, or perhaps lying on the hood of a car parked up in the hills. It’s comes from the folkier end of the indie-pop realm, all sweetness and sadness that takes flight on the strength of Jared Flamm and Kala Savage’s harmonies. And though the boy-girl dynamic might recall early Rilo Kiley, Flamm’s vocals and songwriting style are much more reminiscent of Matt Pond if he left frigid Pennsylvania for the sunnier climes of California but found that a fresh tan couldn’t hide his melancholic streak. A soundtrack for the end of parties.

MP3: Biirdie – “Him”
MP3: Biirdie – “Estelle”
MySpace: Biirdie
By : Frank Yang at 12:32 pm
Category: Uncategorized
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  1. 2/4/08 2:50 am

     Erik says:

    Three Radar Bros.-albums? The grand total is actually five:

    1996: Radar Bros.
    1999: The Singing Hatchet
    2002: And The Surrounding Mountains
    2005: The Fallen Leaf Pages
    2008: Auditorium

    Of course, you´re still right about them all being pretty comfy.

  2. 2/4/08 1:05 pm

     slumber says:

    Ugh. I don’t know why I’m so down on your samples these days, Frank.

    Airfields = *way* to close a retread of MBV
    biirdie= *way* to close a retread of Wilco
    Radar Bros = one sample, hard to tell, but Stephen Malkmus should be pissed.

    I’m open to new stuff, honest, as long as it doesn’t directly rip off my not-so-old stuff.

    And if I hear another band that with any of the following keywords, I’m going to scream: 60’s pop, wall-of-sound, girl-group, beach boys etc. (unrelated to this post, but an ongoing complaint).

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