Bad Rabbits were a rather inauspicious band to be opening for Glassjaw when I saw them at Maxwell's in New Jersey on 12/23/09. Out of the the five bands on the bill, they definitely stood out like a sore thumb; amidst a bunch of indie and wannabe post-rock groups - one in particular cashing in on a particular band member ("Oh hi we're Sainthood Reps and there's a guy from Brand New in our group and did we mention we're from Long Island?"), Bad Rabbits were playing straight-up 80's throwback soul/funk/R&B with a delicious pop twist, kinda like mixing Prince and the Minneapolis sound with P-Funk and Michael Jackson with modern pop sensibilities. And make no mistake, it rocks. Despite the music being decades old, Bad Rabbits serve up the funk with a freshness not seen in a long time. Opener "Booties" sounds like a modern take on Bobby Brown's "On Our Own" while the vintage keyboard samples bring out your inner High-Tops kid. "Stick Up Kids" starts out with what could be an almost post-hardcore chord progression before going into an awesome dancey keyboard/guitar vamp. "Can't Back Down" combines 80's Minneapolis with tight funk riffs and a huge rock outro, with high-pitched falsettos and lush faux-keyboard to great effect.
And these guys are really talented. All the keyboard you hear on this record are actually guitar riffs passed through a pedalboard! That's ***ing awesome dude. Singer Fredua Boakye is probably the closest we'll get to a Baby Prince with his awesome, soulful falsetto and undeniably vintage vocal melodies. Guitarists Salim
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