Radar Brothers

When the Radar Brothers's founding rhythm section departed in 2008, following the release of the L.A. band's last album, Auditorium, it left serious questions about what primary creative force Jim Putnam would do next. What The Illustrated Garden shows is that, with new bassist Be Hussey and drummer Stevie Treichel on board, Putnam continues to fearlessly expand his psych pop visions. While Putnam's gifts in the studio have always set Radar Brothers' releases apart from other artists mining the same territory, Hussey's additional wealth of experience as a recording engineer adds even more texture to The Illustrated Garden. It's easy to imagine how laconic Putnam's songs would sound without all the attention to detail, but instead tracks such as "Dear Headlights" and "People" reveal themselves slowly, creating just what the album's title suggests: an array of multi-faceted sonic flowers in full bloom.