Gram Rabbit - Cultivation

For music loosely based around rabbits and psychedelic desert culture, I’ve heard worse. In fact, the first few songs had me wondering if exhibiting peyote influenced behavior and wearing a bunny tail could be good things. “Waiting in the Kountry” is a surprisingly polished desert epic replete with audio trimmings worthy of a John Wayne film. “Bloody Bunnies” is an oddly addicting and pulsating wreck of a dance song that supposedly addresses superficiality. Sure, I’ll buy it. The problem with the ultra-novelty of the album is how quickly it can all go bad. Really bad. I can deal with spelling words with the letter “K” instead of “C” in song titles, but my tolerance turns tail and runs at the first dose of monotone nasal chanting, beautifully illustrated by the aggravating “Charlie’s Kids.” I don’t know a heck of a lot about Gram Rabbit. But they are hell-bent on rabbits, bunnies and hares. The songs are full of rabbit references and the album artwork has the lead singer adorned in large bunny ears. Her name is Jessica Rabbit, by the way. Whether or not that’s a stage name, I’m not sure. Whether or not you’ll like the album “Cultivation,” I’m not sure either. If you get a bunny-sized kick out of rabbitanic songwriting, you may be just the niche Gram Rabbit is trying to fill. [www.gramrabbit.com]