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Artists:
  THE RADAR BROTHERS w/ Earlimart and Silversun Pickups  
 
Date:
  Thursday.1.August.2002  
 
Venue:
  The Knitting Factory  
 
Location:
  Los Angeles, CA  
 
Reviewed by:
  Gooner  
         
 
Performance Rating:
   
 
Sound Quality:
   
 
Overall Rating:
   
         
 
Review:
 

This night was billed as "a show full of friends", it came off exactly as it should have.

However, in order to get to the show i had to struggle through the main room of the Knitting Factory to the back. In the main room, The Knitting Factory was hosting it's first "Hip Hop Night". It seemed a bit strange walking through the very crowded main room with the music blaring and shaking the fillings in my teeth. When i made it back into the rear room, I experienced something of a music-whiplash from the drastic change.

Silversun Pickups went on right on timw and performed a great set to a good sized crowd. They were playing with a replacement drummer tonight, and it still sounded good. They moved quickly through their short set in order to make way for the other artists.

Silversun Pickups sound keeps evolving. Now it is a flowing noisy pop in the vain of Yo La Tengo, only more driving. They also have a lot of raw power and emotion, which is why I keep coming back to see this band. They are a lot more rocking now, and I can't help but like this band more every time I see them play.

Earlimart is a local band that is all over the place stylistically. They have a couple releases with the indie label Devil in the Woods and a release set for spring 2003 on Palm. Some of their songs come off as being alt-country and others as noisy indie pop songs. The vast majority of their songs are well-crafted, but the massive shifts in tempo leaves the listener feeling not quite at home. Overall they write and perform good music but there is no continuity within a set, much less a complete album. When they find a sound they will clearly be something to check out.

By the time The Radar Brothers appeared on stage, the venue had filled to a near capacity crowd. They began to thrill the crowd with a set of mellow songs. They come off as being complete professionals sure of what they are doing on stage as well as presenting a well ordered set-list. After the previous music discontonuity that was Earlimart, seeing the Radar Brothers perform for nearly an hour was a relief. If you have listened to their records then you know exactly what to expect. Complete with full band (two guitars, bass, drums) they also add some electronic knob-turners to add to the density and complexity of their work. They present a very emotional set exploring highs and lows in ways that most bands miss completely.

SO, this night started out loud and driving with Silversun Pickups, but ended with the relaxing pace of The Radar Brothers. I found it to be very refreshing. I didn't feel drained at the end of the show but rather was in a more relaxed frame of mind.

Go see The Radar Brothers if they come to your town. Whether it's after a long day at work or at school, you'll feel ready to take on all of the next days tasks after relaxing your mind for a bit to the sounds of these beautifully different Angelinos.

 
         
 
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