Unbunny
(Parasol)
Over the course of more than a dozen years and various releases under different monikers, Unbunny's rambling trajectory has proven as odd and amorphous as its unlikely handle. Consequently, this attempt to recap the band's discography proves just as elusive as any try at summing up their sound.
Jared Del Deo's warbling high pitched vocals have brought previous comparisons to Neil Young (a valid point that comes to bear on "Queen if Nothing" in particular), but observing in retrospect, he recalls more the plaintive wail affected by Thunderclap "Something in the Air" Newman. A reference to a forty-year old recording may seem somewhat obscure, but then again, Unbunny's obtuse designs could warrant such references, being that they're fairly unhinged to begin with. Characterized by surreptitious acoustic ramblings that often find an excuse to vent some pissed off perspective ("Looks like I missed the fucking bus/Looks like I'm walking home instead/Looks like I'm standing in the rain/Looks like my shoes are wet again," Del Deo moans in "Now or Never"), the set list, appropriately subtitled Uncertain Tracks 1996-2008, veers erratically. Hushed echoes of incandescent beauty -- "Mandi," She'll Bring You Down" and "Dental Hygienist" (an "Eleanor Rigby" lonely hearts club-type tale that lacks a definitive conclusion) - are found alongside offerings that are purely inconsequential ("We're all Gonna Die" and track number five, an untitled cluster of weird effects).
As a result, it's often difficult to tap into a desirable middle ground that can find appeal in both sides of the divide. Suffice it to say Unbunny is a furtive but fascinating creature.
Standout tracks: "Mandi," "Now or Never," "The Path" LEE ZIMMERMAN
