Unbunny
Snow Tires
Hidden Agenda
Unbunny’s press kit rightly pegs Elliott Smith and Grandaddy – two acts I’ve never been able to understand what the fuss was all about – as being the band’s primary influences. Smith’s sturdy acoustic strum and Lytle and Co.’s wandering electronics are pushed to the front of every track on this disc. The band, unfortunately, isn’t more than the sum of its archetypal forefathers, but they’re sure to please those fans searching for admirable derivations of their favorite sadcore artists.
For the rest of us, Unbunny’s downfall is songwriter Jarid del Deo’s tendency to write a couple good songs, then churn out two exact copycats with the same rhythm patterns or vocal melody. It’s kind of a case of the chicken and the egg when it comes to figuring out which song is the original and which the bastard offspring. But in any case, half of Snow Tires is decent downcast indie pop. The rest is a tedious rehashing.
Parasol: http://www.parasol.com
