CD Reviews

Pepper Rabbit | Red Velvet Snow Ball

Kanine (2011)

By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | August 3, 2011

2.5 Stars

Were Zach Braff still struggling to get Garden State made, there's no doubt one of these songs would have made the mix CD he was shopping around Hollywood with his script. Red Velvet Snow Ball is orchestral indie-pop light enough to provide the perfect backdrop to any quirky slacker-romance flick. The gimmick — that the duo use upwards of a dozen instruments on their songs, including clarinets, ukuleles, horns and a variety of cheap synths — doesn't come off as contrived or cheap. In fact, it's almost quaint. First single "Rose Mary Stretch" reaches out toward Matt and Kim's mantle with its bouncy, energetic pace, but the songs are mainly airy affairs where the abundance of equipment works well within the context of each piece, never shifting wildly unless it's to make an impact, like the brilliant bassline that takes over "Tiny Fingers" three quarters through. There are some artsy Modest Mouse-type moments, sometimes raising the tempo from breezy warmth and threatening to sting like a bee, but for the most part Pepper Rabbit is content to float like a butterfly. No one song here will change your life, but there are some that could come close.

PEPPER RABBIT + BRAIDS | Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston | October 20 @ 9 pm | $8 | 18+ | 617.566.9014

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