Radar Bros.
“The Fallen Leaf Pages”
Merge Records
Slowcore is an excuse for rock critics to praise molasses-paced music. With the exception of the genre-defining band Low, “slow” tends to be a euphemism for the word “boring,” making the useless “core” addendum irrelevant. Somewhere during the course of their previous three records, the Radar Bros. were unceremoniously dumped into this category. On their new album, “The Fallen Leaf Pages,” the band puts the tag to shame by moving with nimble feet more patient than plodding. Simply put, Radar Bros. are a variation on a theme. They are Grandaddy without the sci-fi overtones, Luna without the endless tropical cruise. Instead, “The Fallen Leaf Pages” is a collection of moderately paced guitar songs that hold their arms outstretched to embrace psychedelic elements and a foreboding sense of autumn chill. Like many of their contemporaries, Radar Bros. are gifted with talented instrumentalists and an average singer. Jim Putnam uses what exists of his range to its fullest extents, allowing his inflections to carry the barest whisper of something ominous. Putnam’s voice is a melodic instrument that becomes more interesting with time, especially when he reaches for Beatles-esque heights on tracks like “Government Land.” “Show Yourself” unveils his true potential, with a haunting piano line and lyrics that go hand in hand with a chill down the spine; “It’s nice to see you/ with a knife in your back/ a raging red sea/ for which your mouth is a sack,” a composed Putnam sings almost optimistically. When a band rarely plays faster than waltz time, perhaps the slowcore comparisons are inevitable, but Radar Bros. are merely giving their songs room to breathe. Fittingly, the album’s finale is titled “Breathing Again,” and features ghostly keyboards and similarly transparent harmonies that might be lost in the rush of a faster track. “The Fallen Leaf Pages” is nothing if not well-crafted, merging Putnam’s careful lead guitar with cascading drums and the steady plunk of pianos and keyboard string tones. The album was recorded and mixed by Putnam, and the three-year gap between this and “And The Surrounding Mountains” seems to have been successfully devoted to the studio. “The Fallen Leaf Pages” arrives two seasons early, with the falling leaves of its title not yet back on the trees. Though the changing colors and brisk air of fall might better accompany their bittersweet sound, at least Radar Bros. can finally be accused of moving too fast. –David Greenwald