AMG Review of Music to Start a Cult To

Kenyon Hopkin
All Music Guide

Mysterious and salacious, Gram Rabbit's debut is an eclectic pilgrimage through a myriad of styles and characters. Revolving around the supposed "Royal Order of Rabbits," the Joshua Tree, California trio (vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Jesika von Rabbit, guitarist/vocalist Todd Rutherford and bassist/sampler Travis Cline) formulates the sound to go with the gimmick. After the dark, folk-country of "Dirty Horse," a tale involving Jesus and the Devil, they explore Western, synth-tinged dance on "Disco#2" and "Cowboy-Up." "Kill a Man," a commentary on violence, shows the group has talent, as there are all kinds of lush sounds and voices. Despite the shifting and blending of styles, Gram Rabbit maintains its consistent edge. Add the loungy "Lost in Place" to this Western world of cowboys, desert roads and aliens, and Music to Start a Cult To's far-out, synth-infected country could easily find its place in soundtracks to film noirs by David Lynch.