Another band that captured me at SXSW this year was Bad Rabbits. I’ve finally had a chance to get their debut, Stick Up Kids, and thankfully the energy and grooving vibe of their live show carries well onto the album.
A little bit Pharrell, a little bit Morris Day, and a whole lot of funk-soul, Bad Rabbits have a sound that would have been considered standard radio fare in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s following the vein of Prince and artists alike. However, in the current musical market it’s a welcome change of pace from the commonplace.
Driven by synth stabs and a completely grooving rhythm section, Stick Up Kids would easily be at home in my collection right next to greats like the above noted Prince and Morris Day. A huge part of that is due to the absolutely spot-on vocal stylings of Dua Boakye, who belts it out with that sexy soul charisma and falsettos reminiscent of Pharrell. While this album was released this year, listening to it makes me nostalgic for a musical time most modern bands seem to have forgotten.
My favorites on the album are:
“Booties” starts the album with a bang after a brief spoken (jive?) intro, providing that familiar late ‘80s funk-soul style and a catchy chorus of “The shit’s poppin’ off tonight.”
“Stick Up Kids” showcases the album’s greatest breakdown, a stuttering drum beat shifting fall. The track is potent. Screaming synths and a solid group vocal backing track single it out and give good reason to it being the EP’s title track.
“Advantage Me” is Michael Jackson meets Daft Punk. I know, that may sound really confusing, but trust me. It has a dancehall vocoded synth very reminiscent of Daft Punk or Groove Armada that floats in and out of the backing track and a “Thriller” breakdown.
Bad Rabbits offers something so completely fresh in the current musical “scene.” It was great seeing them tear down the venue at SXSW and think they stand to hold a unique place in the current mainstream musical demographic. You can purchase a physical copy or download the album by clicking the link conveniently found below!
For more info on Bad Rabbits, visit:
http://www.myspace.com/badrabbits
To download or purchase the album, visit:
