Radar Brothers – The Illustrated Garden

A new Radar Bros album is as welcome as a cooling breeze from an open window amidst a room otherwise full of obnoxious, clamouring musical wannabes, throwing tantrums and strutting bossily around in their neckerchiefs and sleeveless waistcoats.

Part of this band's cult success must surely be down to their refreshing lack of pretension. It's particularly admirable, in an age where faux attitudes have long since replaced real ones, that these guys continue to ease their way through relaxed guitar pop with bucolic calm.

In an avian-heavy 37 minutes, And The Birds is a particularly stand-out cut, albeit in predictably relaxed fashion. The only contrasting rambunctious moments are found in the choppy guitar of Quarry and gentle gallop of Horse Warriors. Whilst it'd be naive not to acknowledge that The Illustrated Garden is not as strong an album as Radar Bros' acme The Singing Hatchet, it's still a solid addition to a healthy catalogue. [Chris Cusack]