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Tea Leaf Green: Radio Tragedy

Thirty Tigers

After a pair of underwhelming releases—2008’s Raise Up The Tent and 2010’s Looking West —San Francisco’s Tea Leaf Green finally delivers a complete and wholly realized songs with Radio Tragedy. The impact of second drummer and new member Cochrane McMillan is apparent throughout the disc, particularly on the psychedelic-tinged opening track, “All Washed Up,” which shows maturity and growth in craftsmanship from the band’s earlier forays into funk and groove-based material.

The band’s seventh studio album features strong contributions not only from principal songwriter Trevor Garrod (“Fallen Angel,” “Germinating Seed”) but also from bassist Reed Mathis (“My Oklahoma Home”) and guitarist Josh Clark (“Honey Bee,” “The Cottonwood Tree”), which are tied together by themes of love, loneliness and unexpected change. Despite the often depressing subject matter, Radio Tragedy isn’t a downer thanks in part to healthy doses of anthemic guitar riffs, powerful organ blasts and the inspired work of the three-man rhythm section.

Producer Jeremy Black’s (Apollo Sunshine) studio flourishes and subtle effects add layers of depth to the deftly arranged songs. Radio Tragedy is Tea Leaf Green’s best effort to date, fulfilling the promise it hinted at on its first four albums.