Pepper Rabbit's lush and artful indie pop is crafted on a grand enough scale that it's hard to fathom it's the product of just two people,
Xander Singh and
Luc Laurent. But at the same time there's a sense of fun that shines through the many layers of overdubs, and the duo's second full-length album,
Red Velvet Snow Ball, is an impressive and accomplished work, especially from a duo that's been working together less than two years.
Singh and
Laurent write fine melodies, and there are plenty of them on
Red Velvet Snow Ball, but what really sets this apart is their keen sense of texture and mood; a unified melodic sense and a firm percussive backdrop hold the material together, but the fingerpicked acoustic guitars on "The Annexation of Puerto Rico," the vintage electric piano and stacked harmonies on "Murder Room," and the wobbly synth tones and
Brian Wilson-styled banks of keys on "Tiny Fingers" give each song an individual character, as if this album were a big sonic variety pack full of different but complementary flavors.
Singh is also a solid vocalist, though he's less memorable as a lyricist and from a narrative standpoint most of the songs on
Red Velvet Snow Ball tend to go in one ear and out the other. But this is an album that was clearly meant to be heard and not read, and on that score it's consistently satisfying; with help from producer
Ryan Hadlock,
Singh and
Laurent have given their songs an air of joyous experimentation without compromising their craft.
Red Velvet Snow Ball is the sound of two kids let loose in a musical candy shop, but they made a list and planned what they wanted to put together beforehand, and the result is rich and exciting without becoming overwhelming; it's loaded with charm as well as fine tunes, and that combination makes it a delight that's well worth hearing. ~ Mark Deming