space-rock was, ab ovo, doomed to alt-rock purgatory. bands like Glassjaw, Shiner, and Castor had the advantage of using forceful guitar work but the obvious disadvantage of using them in a manner which wasn't so straightforward. the genre title itself "space rock" denotes chasms and an overwhelming openness when it comes to sound structures. it's akin to thinking of strawberries. strawberries are not totally sweet and for some people are deceptively sour. but strawberry-flavored products are wholly sweet. space rock was then the attempt to get rid of all those unnecessary preservatives plaguing alt. rock. at the forefront was Failure: Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Kelli Scott. Andrews, however, seemed to show the greatest tendency to compromise the space rock constitution first by forming On, a synth-pop side project, and also by co-producing works by Jimmy Eat World, A Perfect Circle, and BRMC. it's no surprise, then, that Andrews's new project employs a more straightforward (and somewhat derivative) flavor.

Year of The Rabbit is Ken Andrews, Tim Dow (Shiner), Jeff Garber (Castor, National Skyline), and Solomon Snyder (Cupcake). if one has listened to any Failure album, they will realize just how unsurprising YOTR is. it's not unsurprising in a necessarily negative manner but it is dictated by a strong pop nerve that's a bit jarring compared to Magnified or the classic Fantastic Planet. with members from some of space rock's juggernauts it's absolutely impossible to evade the typical wall of crunching guitar which pervades the album and though interesting it's the affixed pop attitude which makes it kinda meander. Failure did the same thing but used such meticulous guidance that a clear, audible goal resulted. 'Another Space Song' and 'Heliotropic' from Fantastic Planet were both extremely heavy but in extremely different ways. 'Hunted' and 'Say Goodbye' are both heavy but have very little mechanical distinction. overall it's a good work but also a letdown because such a diverse membership should have augured something a bit more dynamic.