All That and More - By Rainbow Kitten Surprise
TITLE: All That and More (Sailboat)
ARTIST: Rainbow Kitten Surprise
GENRE: Indie Rock / Indie Folk
MOOD: Sweet / Soft
SIMILAR TO: Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon
At some point in their life, everyone has heard the popular idiom “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. If there’s any band that will teach you not to judge its worth from its outward appearance alone, it is Rainbow Kitten Surprise. In this case, however, the saying should be “don’t judge the music by its cover album”.
I first heard of Rainbow Kitten Surprise from a friend who was listening to them in preparation for Firefly, Delaware’s most infamous music festival. Personally, I don’t mind their name, but it isn’t harsh to say that “Rainbow Kitten Surprise” immediately deters most of the general population from listening to their songs. Paired with mostly black and rainbow-streaked album covers, the band’s attributes compile into a gaudy mess that kind of evokes EDM vibes. But while Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s name and art create a preconceived notion that their sound will be electronic music fit for raves, in actuality, their music is anything but. In particular, the song “All That and More (Sailboat)”, is the cutest folk song you’ll ever hear. It is surprisingly unexpected, but pleasant for lovers of the indie-folk genre, that a band that markets itself garishly can create such a traditionally cute and sweet folk song, a soft sound hidden in the imagery of their band name. And what’s even more surprising is that most of their songs sound like this.
Essentially, “All That and More (Sailboat)”, seems almost as if it is a soundtrack to an indie movie. It begins with the sweet notes of a solo banjo, and progresses with some characteristically indie tambourine and guitar. When he sings, “My baby is a sailboat captain at sea, we don’t give a damn we do as we please”, you get serious mental flashes to adolescence and adventures. If this song were a movie, it would either be Bridge to Terabithia or Moonlight Kingdom, in the sense that the lyrics are overly sweet, youthful, and simplistic, but overlaid with a tinge of loss. When given the benefit of the doubt, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has a seriously enjoyable, good and genuine sound, and it’s about time that they are shared with other people.