Intriguing Instrumentals
‘Run Rabbit Run’ is one album that has a real back story which needs to be explained before any comment can be made on the quality of the music. In 2001 Sufjan Stevens produced a follow-up to his debut album, ‘A Sun Came’, which involved a series of instrumental songs inspired by animals in the Chinese Zodiac. ‘Run Rabbit Run’ is a follow-up to that album inspired by Bryce Dessner of The National, who asked Stevens if he’d consider re-arranging the ‘Enjoy Your Rabbit’ album for strings. So ‘Run Rabbit Run’ was born with the string quartet Osso providing strings and horn provided for additional songs by composer and conductor Mike Atkinson.
The concept remains an interesting one and the tunes really channel the spirit of the individual animals - 'Enjoy Your Rabbit’ has scratching, fast-moving strings that mirror the flighty nature of the rabbit, while ‘The Year of the Dragon’ is full of impulsive crescendos that are, of course, fiery in nature. ‘Year of the Snake’ is full of fun as the strings wind up and spring like the slowly slithering animal leaping into action. The horse on ‘Year of the Horse’ is graceful and powerful with bold strings soaring elegantly with gusto, making it one of the most attention-grabbing tracks of the fourteen.
Fourteen tracks is a slightly long introduction to string quartet music for an audience that is perhaps more used to the quirky side of indie, but the zodiac concept clearly defined the album’s length, and while some of tracks run over 5 minutes, it’s still an enjoyable and entertaining album.
It’s a fascinating album and interesting to see if a popular leftfield artist like Sufjan Stevens can make classical instrumental music popular to a larger audience. Open-minded fans are sure to be able to find a place for this on their stereo as the soundtrack to a lazy evening or relaxed dinner party, even if it is slightly obscure evening.