Customer Reviews

Year Of The Rabbit

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a huge fan of failure and I was glad to hear about Ken Andrew's new band Year of The Rabbit! I bought this album back in 2003 but I thought I would post my thoughts about this album finally. I was not dissapointed with this cd at all, there are like 2 songs I skip over but the rest are amazing and well written! My favorite song on the album would probably be "Lie Down". I wish they would've put "Burn" on this but all in all it's a good listen! The band has since broken up but you can catch The Joy Circuit, which is the YOTR members minus Ken Andrews. They have an EP on CDBABY worth checking out.

In my opinion, Failure was the greatest band of all time. Since the days of Failure, I've followed Ken Andrews around like my own personal music messiah. Why Failure never broke through to the mainstream, I'll never know. Andrews has one of those sounds that is instantly recognizable to me--chiming guitars overlaying grinding bass and driving rhythm forming complex songs with mildly eerie melodies. With his new band, Year of the Rabbit, Andrews generally stays true to form. There are a few songs on the disc that fail to hold my attention, such as "Strange Eyes." Overall, however, each song lives up to my high expectations. In particular, I keep replaying "Last Defense" and "Rabbit Hole" (the first single), and "Hunted" is as close to perfect as a song can get for my money. I just don't know why they did not include "Burn" (and perhaps even "I Wanna Be Adored," a Stone Roses cover) from the "Hunted" EP as they're both stronger songs than a couple that did make the album.

Compared to Andrews' other work, I give this a 4/5. Compared to everything else that's out there these days, I give this a 5/5.

Topolino

It goes without saying that if you like Failure, you will enjoy this. Ken Andrews proves that he doesn't just have one album in him, he has many. Ex members of bands like Shiner and National Skyline join him.
Year of the Rabbit has too many excellent tracks to list. Some are initially catchy, and others take time to grow on you, but are equally enjoyable. "Hunted" and "Lie Down" are my personal favorites. Although these guys are no longer together and Ken Andrews has moved on, you can still check out The Joy Circuit. They are every member from the band minus Ken. I highly recommend them as well.

Unless you know what you are looking for.

I had absolutely NO idea who or what Failure was until I heard my freind gripe at me for A Perfect Circle's cover of "The Nurse". I picked up "Fantastic Planet", and I was more or less blown away. Some of the songs were too new-rock-ish for me, but songs like "Blank", "Daylight", and "Heliotrophic" totally won me over.

Now, Year of The Rabbit? what the heck is this? I listened to it one time around, it really didnt take to me. Then after a while, I went back and listened to it. I absoolutely adore every single song on this album. There's just something about the sound that you wish that other "new" bands could follow, as the world would be a much better place.

"Rabbit Hole" is one of my favorites. Good sound. "Hunted, Say Goodbye", my absolute favorites. I can listen to them nonstop for hours. Flawless.

Only complaints, it's so short. I want more!!

This is the debut album from this L.A. based indie supergroup (members have previously performed in projects such as Failure, Shiner, National Skyline and Cupcakes). Basically if you are a fan of any the aforementioned bands, you should definitely enjoy this release. It's kind of a hybrid sound with some flanger effects on the guitars and the detached vocal style that Ken Andrews has become known for.

This is a solid effort for a debut, especially considering that this was recorded before the band was even signed. The band members seem to have a chemistry that most bands lack at this stage. The songs are varied and multitempoed - you've got the fast paced "Absent Stars", and songs that gradually build like "Lie Down" that are reminiscent of Failure's textured songs from Fantastic Planet. Lyrics are a strong point - they aren't of the spoon-fed variety like you find in today's Top 40 drivel. Ken Andrews's lyrics are as multi-dimensional as the songs themselves, and seem to perfectly compliment the direction that the music takes. Other highlights include the singles "Rabbit Hole" and "Last Defense", both of which should have elevated this deserving release to Platinum status if the label did a better job of promoting the band.

In summary: This is an incredibly underrated band that put out what was among the most overlooked albums of 2003. I withhold a 5 star rating only because this falls short of being a masterpiece (I think the band is capable of putting one out eventually) and because at 40 minutes, the album is a bit on the short side. But for the price that it generally goes for, it is a worthy addition to your collection.

Well... Were to begin, I have been a huge Ken Andrews fan for a long time, about 8 years. And because of that I have been introduced to lots of great music, including Tim Dow's Shiner and Jeff Garber's National Skyline. But to have these creative minds working together in one band is an amazing listening experience.

The cd starts out with "Rabbit hole" which is also the first single from the album. If you've heard this song and like it, prepare yourself because it only gets better. The cd is also enhanced with some great "Behind the scenes stuff" including a little bit of live performances and "life on the road" type stuff. Also Ken does a Mini interview with "A perfect circle's" Billy Howerdel.
Anyway, buy the cd listen and enjoy
Taylor.

Good rock music is hard to come by these days. Few acts have the good old fashioned know how to produce a pop/rock album that has all of the ingredients necessary to institute itself as a modern classic. YEAR OF THE RABBIT is one of those few acts. The amount of pure unadulterated professionalism is heard in every note of every song of this debut, the brainchild of KEN ANDREWS, who, when it comes to good alternative music, has the midas touch. Formerly of FAILURE and ON, ANDREWS has gathered some great musicians to help breath life into his new hook laden vision. The result is an album with no pretention at all, just good pop flavored rock music with harmonies and lyrics you'll be singing and thumping to soon after the CD is done. And it really rocks too. The production of this disc is no less that excellent. All the instruments (including ANDREWS cool as hell voice) resonate with an equal, beautiful abandon missing from almost everything out there today. This is one CD that should find it's way into the collection of anyone who knows what good alternative music sounds like. Buy it now.

This album is to Ken Andrews as the Green Album is to Rivers Cuomo. Withouth Matt Sharp giving Weezer that special something, there just seems to be something missing. Without Greg Edwards experimental edge and amazing noisemaking ability (as displayed in his new band Autolux), Year Of The Rabbit just comes off flat.

Don't get me wrong--Ken Andrews is a spectacular producer, and writes some great melodies and chord progressions, but there isn't a single surprise on this album (except the surprisingly embarassing "Hold Me Up"). Every song has the same texture. Every song has practically the same structure. The lyrics are dull and forgetable.

Where Fantastic Planet (Failure's 1996 masterpiece, produced and recorded by Ken) was sprinkled with acoustic guitars, distorted bass, bongo drums, chirping feedback, and other wonderful pet sounds, Year Of The Rabbit is just disorted guitars, bass and drums. And cheesy strings on Hold Me Up. There's nothing special anywhere in it.

Now it sounds like I hate that album. That's not true. A Ken Andrews song is still better then just about anything else out there in Major-labelville. I just know that he can do a whole lot better than 11 radio-friendly rock tunes.

Rivers Cuomo needs Matt Sharp. Matt Talbot needs Tim Lash. David Gilmour needs Roger Waters. Ken Andrews needs Greg Edwards.

I tip my hat to Ken Andrews. This is nothing like Failure, another great band with Ken, and that is a good thing. Year of the Rabbit has all these hooks that just keep you wanting to hear more. It's a very addictive album. It's poetic and honest.

I've only recently gotten into Ken Andrew's music so I'm fairly new to his stuff. But "Year of the Rabbit" is an album which immediately grabbed my attention after a friend played it for me. I instantly liked it's dark yet melodic feel. Just when you think a song will head in a certain direction, it totally diverges and almost becomes a different song, so to speak. You won't find songs like these on many albums. But that's what makes it so good. Highly recommended to anyone who's familiar with Ken Andrew's music or just anyone who can appreciate loud, sonic, dreamy and melodic rock. Album contains an enhanced section with live clips, interviews and other odds and ends.

And on a side note, this album actually has a single, although it's very tough to find. The actual CD is called "Year of the Rabbit 3 Song Sampler" even though it's technically a single of "Rabbit Hole" and "Strange Eyes" and contains a b-side called "I Wanna Be Adored" (a Stone Roses cover) which is excellent. Definitely worth tracking down.