Release Date: August 9 2011
Red Velvet Snow Ball, inspired by a cake-flavored snow cone, is L.A.-based Pepper Rabbit’s sophomore LP and a whimsical follow-up to its bubbly debut, Beauregard.
Originally from New Orleans, Xander Singh and Luc Laurent find inspiration from genres across the board. From David Bowie to Jamie Lidell, the experimental pop duo wanted to create an album to get lost in. Red Velvet Snow Ball is just that.
The duo’s dreamy psychedelic pop is catchy, bright and creatively layered with depth.
Never straying from the common pop backbone, Pepper Rabbit finds comfort in experimentation and seemingly never-ending swirls and twirls of sounds in an effort to create an atmospheric sound that will engulf the listener.
The harmonized vocals in songs such as “In Search of Simon Birch” and “The Annexation of Puerto Rico” resemble a breezy style similar to labelmate Grizzly Bear. The hopeful key progressions and ambient pop blends together, creating a technological hodge-podge. Yet the accompaniment of orchestral instruments adds a dash of folk, but it’s in a less-obvious manner than last year’s Beauregard.
The ukulele has been replaced by the keyboard as the front instrument backed up by nearly a dozen instruments including the horn, clarinet and synths, which Laurent learned by watching instructional YouTube videos after bringing home instruments from working at vintage music store.
“Allison” opens with an eerie carnival-like tune, like an abandoned carousel with its music stuck on repeat and distorted from age. It’s enchanting and subtly naïve. With repeated loops, minor distortion and echoed keys, “Allison” is a dreamy lullaby.
The sophomore slump is completely foreign to this art-pop duo. Red Velvet Snow Ball is layered so meticulously to sound as if there were a dozen members of the band. Releasing two albums in the span of 10 months is a feat, but creating two charming and equally creative and distinct albums is downright impressive.
Album closer, “Tiny Fingers” has a beautifully entrancing innocence about it. Think fluffy clouds, bunny rabbits and rainbows. The high-pitched keys and eclectic array of bouncing melodies flow gracefully throughout the first half of the song until a basic bassline awakens the dream into a peaceful reality. It leaves the listener feeling warm, hypnotized and maybe even a little lovestruck.
Pepper Rabbit – Red Velvet Snow Ball tracklist:
- “Lake House”
- “Rose Mary Stretch”
- “Allison”
- “The Annexation of Puerto Rico”
- “Family Planning”
- “Murder Room”
- “In Search of Simon Birch”
- “Dance Card”
- “The Ballad of Alessandro Moreschi”
- “Tiny Fingers”
