Review Summary: With a conclusion that will leave the listener breathless and a journey filled with endless dynamics, A Bunny's Caravan crafted a masterpiece that demands more attention.
The beauty about unknown bands is how they sometimes manage to gather elements of their influences and use them to their full advantage, often resulting in an album that makes them equally as masterful. This aspect of music fits A Bunny’s Caravan all too well and
Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures gives the listener one hell of an emotional ride. However, what’s devastating about this band lays in how they broke up almost immediately after their masterpiece was created. There were no shows, rehearsals or even any advertising to help them gain any sort of following.
Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures came and went like a hurricane and just like a hurricane it left its mark, but was never seen again. Little does the band know that their one off masterpiece truly moved the hearts of whoever was lucky enough to come across it. They've essentially created the perfect amalgam of emo, indie rock and post rock that will surely move and exhilarate the listener all the way until the album’s sprawling and unforgettable conclusion.
However, until the listener gets there, an entire journey has to be experienced to get the full effect. Right off the bat, the touching ambiance at the beginning of “Inclosed by Skies” signifies something truly amazing with the thrilling guitar riff coming in soon after to create an awe inspiring atmosphere. Bursting at the seams with dynamic instrumentation and heartfelt vocals, “Inclosed by Skies” proves to be only a mere taste of what’s to come in the near future. While this track utilizes the band’s post rock side, “Cartwheels into the Abyss” reveals the band’s strictly emo/indie rock side by grace and finesse with their singer delivery some amazing layered harmonies in the soaring final minute.
In addition to consistently heartfelt vocals, the most amazing aspect of this overlooked gem lays in how they carefully balance out the more upbeat or heavy sections and simmering atmospheric sections. With the exception of “Resolving the Static” having a thoroughly engaging rhythm section and engrossing guitar work, Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures excels the most at truly making the listener feel in the slower atmospheric pieces driven by ambiance, gentle guitar work and honest yet relatable lyrics with “My Attic Relapse” and “Keeping the Wins” providing the perfect example. The greatness of “My Attic Relapse” lays in its soothing build with a slow burning rhythm, quiet falsetto and brilliant guitar work paving the way. In addition to this fantastic aspects, once the song really picks up, the broken vocals and confessional lyrics will truly break the listener’s heart into a thousand pieces. “Keeping the Wins” exists as the second part of the one-two punch with breathtaking vocals and an engaging atmosphere that really sucks the listener in and never let’s go. However, despite all of these songs being so amazing, the album wouldn't have the proper staying power if it didn't have a conclusion that makes all of this worthwhile. Make no mistake that “Radio PC” packs one hell of a suck punch.
“Radio PC” happens to be the very track that all of the tracks before it have been building up to and it delivers one of the best conclusions to an album modern music has to offer. Many memorable moments lay in “Radio PC” with it being the band’s most dynamic and sprawling track yet. As the listener locks into the epic fifteen minute track, only one band could come to mind as a direct influence: Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Driven by engrossing vocal samples about how the government has too control over the people with being overly dramatic and thrilling instrumentation, right from the start “Radio PC” draws many aspects of the post rock titans and they use all of these aspects to their full advantage. Around the 5:30 mark the song quickly slows down for a long, drawn out vortex of ambiance that could easily mislead the singer that this is overlong and pointless. However, the payoff is nothing short of overwhelming and incredible when the song explodes out of nowhere into gripping guitar work and the vocalists broken wailing. However, the payoff truly lays in the last four minutes of the song with the band delivering the post rock buildup of a lifetime. It really brings to mind GY!BE once again with its stirring atmosphere and bombastic guitar work, but once the song fades away, the listener will be at a loss for words and gasping was air.
Unfortunately, this happens to be the last we will ever see on the hidden treasure known as A Bunny’s Caravan. They've successfully crafted a dynamic masterpiece that thrills and makes the listener feel often at the same time. In addition to this, it offers one of the most unforgettable conclusions of all time which is one hell of a bold title. With
Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures, the band essentially lit a fuse that went out before it had any chance of getting to the point of exploding. Once it was released, they quickly broke up, sadly leaving their unknown masterpiece to float along in the vast and endless river known as the internet only to be found by a select few along the way. Anyone who is a fan of the emo/indie rock/post rock combo, you best check this out because you truly have no idea what is being missed.
