Fierce Bad Rabbit: The Maestro & The Elephant

4 1/2 Stars
The New Years Eve release date for “The Maestro and The Elephant” should tell you what perennial scene favorites, Fierce Bad Rabbit, might hope to accomplish with their latest album. With their glasses raised nostalgically for the soaring optimism that drove earlier albums, the band opens the new year with a more grounded sound, tighter ensemble work, more mature writing, and deeper collaboration between the band’s members. With the addition of replacement drummer, Max Barcelow and the direction of producer Andrew Berlin the arrangements gel, allowing the band to present their most diverse collection of songs to date, like the ethereal “The Devil Smells Like Country” written and performed by violist, Alana Rolfe and “Apple In Your Hand” which is written and performed by drummer Max Barcelow. Guitarist, Chris Anderson’s writing also benefits from the new collaborative approach. On tracks like “Matter of time” the writing and performances outshine all of their previous recordings. – Andrew Schneider