Jeppe Zabel - The rabbit Ep

Jeppe Zabel

The Rabbit EP
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, Jeppe Zabel has been writing songs for about 10 years. The songs he writes are folk-based pop songs that contain little more than his guitar and voice. His recently released an EP entitled The Rabbit that contains seven solid songs that showcase his ability to write a catchy tune, with pretty good lyrics and enough variety to make it an easy listen.  Zabel’s writing is simple and usually revolves little more than a couple of chords. He doesn't wear his influences on his sleeve even though some of the songs feel like you  heard them before.

The first song on the EP is “Bring You Down” which starts thing off on the right foot. The song is a bit melancholy in terms of his vocal style but the guitar playing is rather upbeat. This song is all Zabel and his acoustic except for the end where he introduces an electronic to lay down some lead work. “The Rabbit” has a bit more going on. The song introduces a couple of different instruments including bells that sounded like they were played on an electric piano. The additional instrumentation works well on the chorus. “Where I want you to be” felt a bit different than the previous tunes. Zabel choses to add some electric guitar on this tune during the verses. The tune feels a bit more bluesy and almost reminiscent of older country tunes. 

The guitar progression on “Complete Content” may sound a bit like “My Guitar Gently Weeps”  but that’s about all they have in common. Zabel choses to pick this tune and play some harmonica adding some more variety to the album. It’s not too often that albums revolve around an acoustic guitar and vocals end with a 14-minute song. Well that’s not the case here, not exactly. “Love of Sound” plays for about three minutes and then contains about nine minutes of silence and then you hear the rest of the song. I don't know if this was supposed to be a hidden track like they used to have in the 90’s or was just how he wanted people to listen to the song. Overall, The Rabbit is a collection of well-made songs that while not genre-defining simply show a songwriter who has a knack for putting together a tune and has enough originality and variety that should keep your attention. 

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