Los Angeles, California: sun, surf, and sorrow? It seems like an unlikely combination, but this is where Neil Young etched out the wounded After the Gold Rush and the Counting Crows' made their masterful post-fame comedown record, Recovering the Satellites. In that tradition comes the third release from the gracefully downtrodden Radar Brothers, a trio founded by former Medicine and Maids of Gravity member Jim Putnam. And the Surrounding Mountains draws inspiration from Young's Americana songbook, spinning unadorned vocals and sonic brushstrokes at a glacial pace. Ethereal tracks like "On the Line" and "Still Evil" break through the haze, but it's not the individual songs so much as the overall calm, world-weary feeling that makes the record such a fragile treasure. Fans still reeling from the loss of similarly afflicted Los Angeles sadcore band Acetone would be well advised to clear space on their CD shelves for this one. --Aidin Vaziri
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