The Rabbits are the darlings of WM Recordings having released three free online albums in a year’s time. But I’m afraid I really didn’t quite catch onto them until the last release, That Cave of Love, part one. TheToronto band, which is actually Matthew Orzeszek plus friends, have such a casual and twisted style that it sneaked up on me. That Cave of Love seems a bit more twisted than the other album and much tighter in concept. Songs like “Chickeny Softness” may have silly lyrics (My wife is saying “They’re not silly, They’re existential!”) but they are nicely surrounded by some sharp guitar work and more than a little cleverness. There is a indie rock feel mixed with a little Beatles influence and a Bonzo Dog Band wit. The Rabbits’ music may never save the world but it will get us a reprise from the usual daily madness called life.

My surprise at loving That Cave of Love sent me back to the first two albums to see if I missed something. They are both better than I remembered although not at good as their most recent effort. I do remember liking the first track on the debut Squirrel Brain titled “Blow You Crow” and its quirky cartoon voicings. Other delights include a jazzy “Screams in Dreams” and the faux hip-hop “Tower”. There are enough nice tracks to give this a try.

Squeeze One Out is the Rabbits’ second release and again better than I remember. One of The Rabbit’s strength…and weakness… is the ability skip around genres. While it is interesting to see what they can do with a blues or a rock ballad, or a children song like “London Bridge” the lack of a center becomes a little tiresome. Still it is fun to see what Mr. Orzeszek’s brain is up to. As I said, The Cave of Love seemed to be his grand opus for now but his first two albums still have enough fun and games to recommend a listen.

The three albums are available from WM Recordings as separate tracks or album zip in VBR MP3.

Download
Squirrel Brain
Squeeze One Out
That Cave of Love part one