[10.02] And the Surrounding Mountains is the follow-up to their excellent '99 release The Singing Hatchet. The Radar Bros., who despite their name are not brothers at all, hail from LA and have a tinge of southern California sunniness to their harmonies. In fact, while labeled slowcore by many, there is something much more optimistic to their sound, more richly and warmly textured than some of the bands they get lumped in with. Perhaps its the Golden State version of slowcore as opposed to the Duluth, MN version that fellow slowcorers Low convey. The Radar Bros. seemingly cannot escape their surroundings either when they craft their sound.

Having said all of that, this is no Beach Boys revival band. The songs are melancholic, with a slightly psychedelic/'70s rock sheen, like Pink Floyd playing Grandaddy covers (such as track 6) or Ed Harcourt on Valium playing AM rock. Mercury Rev is another connotation, echoing some of that band's instrumentations and moods - though its more cheap-vintage-analog-synth-a-la Grandaddy than lush strings and bombast. And the Surrounding Mountains is somewhat folk/country-flavored, with sweet harmonies, piano, acoustic guitars, and yet gently foreboding in its languid moods and somber lyrics.

At first, the album seems almost too well mannered -- every time I plop the CD in my player, it feels a bit like an awkward houseguest - who doesn't want to draw too much attention to itself. But the well-crafted songs grow from the being slightly anonymous on first listen to memorable and haunting on a few more listens. Having listened to it a couple of dozen times, it's grown to be one of my current favorites and one that I know will last in my CD collection.

All in all, And the Surrounding Mountains is a perfect end-of-summer soundtrack, evoking the golden sunshine of a fading summer and the impending gloom of fall. —Nils