Rabbit Fur Coat is an album in collaboration by Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, with The Watson Twins. It was released in the United States on January 24, 2006, by Team Love. Lewis has described the album as a "sort of soul record". The album contains a cover of the Traveling Wilburys song "Handle With Care", featuring Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie), Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) and M. Ward.

Rabbit Fur Coat
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 24, 2006
Genre
Length37:38
LabelTeam Love
ProducerMike Mogis, Jenny Lewis, Matt Ward
Jenny Lewis chronology
Rabbit Fur Coat
(2006)
Acid Tongue
(2008)
Singles from Rabbit Fur Coat
  1. "Rise Up with Fists!!"
    Released: March 9, 2006
  2. "You Are What You Love"
    Released: May 1, 2006

Lewis embarked on her first solo tour to support the album, with Johnathan Rice and either Whispertown 2000 or The Blow opening. She also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in support of the album.

This album is the 8th release of Team Love Records.

Listeners of All Songs Considered, NPR's online music show, voted the album the eighth best of 2006.

A vinyl reissue of Rabbit Fur Coat was released in January 2016, marking its 10th anniversary.[1] Lewis was also joined in early 2016 by M. Ward and The Watson Twins for a brief tour celebrating the anniversary.[2]

Composition edit

Coat is aligned with several roots music genres,[3] primarily "rootsy" country folk and gospel.[3][4]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
The A.V. ClubB+[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[8]
The Guardian     [9]
The Independent     [10]
Pitchfork6.1/10[11]
Q     [12]
Rolling Stone     [13]
Uncut     [14]
The Village VoiceA−[15]

Rabbit Fur Coat received generally favorable reviews and maintains a normalized rating of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 24 professional reviews.[5]

Actress Anne Hathaway was quoted in People as calling Rabbit Fur Coat "beautiful, funny, and very subversive".[16]

Legacy and impact edit

Within Jenny Lewis' discography, Rabbit Fur Coat is considered "a pivotal key change" for her, [17] serving as a springboard for "one of modern indie rock's most reliably cool careers."[4] Deemed her "melancholy opus,"[18] Coat is known as "[a] tantalizing effort" that led Lewis to success both critically and commercially beyond her band Rilo Kiley.[19]

Coat has impacted several musicians in the time since its release. In a 2012 MTV feature, Swedish indie folk duo First Aid Kit revealed their use of Coat as a reference point while making their album The Lion's Roar, released that same year. They credited it with prompting them to both "seek solace in sad songs" and to more deeply explore Americana music's catalog.[20] Other groups its impact has been noted on include Best Coast and Waxahatchee.[21]

Tracks edit

People noted that album's first track "Run Devil Run," was "old-time gospel" with Chandra and Leigh Watson providing a cappella backing.[22] with other reviews calling the opener track "a breathy, gospel-tinged number"[23] with a "blast of impassioned close harmony bluegrass-style vocals."[24]

Two singles were released: "Rise Up With Fists!!" and "You Are What You Love".

Track listing edit

(all tracks written by Lewis except where noted)

  1. "Run Devil Run" – 1:06
  2. "The Big Guns" – 2:32
  3. "Rise Up with Fists!!" – 3:36
  4. "Happy" – 4:14
  5. "The Charging Sky" – 2:56
  6. "Melt Your Heart" – 2:50
  7. "You Are What You Love" – 2:51
  8. "Rabbit Fur Coat" – 4:32
  9. "Handle with Care" (Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty) – 2:56
  10. "Born Secular" – 5:07
  11. "It Wasn't Me" – 4:10
  12. "Happy (Reprise)" – 0:48

Charts edit

Album – Billboard (North America) [25]
Year Chart Position
2006 The Billboard 200 88
2006 Top Independent Albums 6

As of 2007, sales in the United States have exceeded 112,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[26]

Personnel edit

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins edit

Musicians edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Jenny Lewis Announces Rabbit Fur Coat Reissue, Tour". Pitchfork. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  2. ^ "Jenny Lewis on 'Rabbit Fur Coat': 'It was the first time for everything'". Los Angeles Times. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  3. ^ a b Kaplan, Ilana (February 3, 2016). "Jenny Lewis on 'Rabbit Fur Coat' at 10, How Conor Oberst Changed Her Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Baines, Huw (January 6, 2021). "The Genius Of… Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins". Guitar.com. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Reviews for Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins". Metacritic. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Rabbit Fur Coat – Jenny Lewis / The Watson Twins". AllMusic. Retrieved January 24, 2006.
  7. ^ Phipps, Keith (February 1, 2006). "Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  8. ^ Endelman, Michael (February 3, 2006). "Rilo Kiley members branch out". Entertainment Weekly. No. 861. p. 70. Archived from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
  9. ^ Peschek, David (January 27, 2006). "Jenny Lewis, Rabbit Fur Coat". The Guardian. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  10. ^ Gill, Andy (January 20, 2006). "Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat (Rough Trade)". The Independent.
  11. ^ Dahlen, Chris (January 23, 2006). "Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
  12. ^ "Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat". Q (235): 103. February 2006.
  13. ^ Hiatt, Brian (February 9, 2006). "Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat". Rolling Stone. No. 993. p. 62. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2006.
  14. ^ "Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat". Uncut (105): 78. February 2006.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 7, 2006). "Consumer Guide: Old Fashioned Amenities". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  16. ^ "Celebs Give Their Top Picks of 2006". People. December 23, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  17. ^ Barlow, Eve (January 31, 2016). "Jenny Lewis Honors Her Debut for Rabbit Fur Coat Anniversary Tour With the Watson Twins: Live Review". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  18. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (January 28, 2016). "10 Years After Rabbit Fur Coat, A Love Letter to Jenny Lewis". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  19. ^ Miller, Warren (February 28, 2013). "The 10 Best Rilo Kiley Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Lee, Christina (January 19, 2012). "Hive Five: First Aid Kit's Songs to Mend a Broken Heart". MTV. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  21. ^ London, Dianca (February 2, 2016). "No Nostalgia: Jenny Lewis on 'Rabbit Fur Coat' Ten Years Later". Noisey. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  22. ^ People 2006 - Volume 65 - Page 44: "MUSIC Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins Rabbit Fur Coat ALTCOUNTRY Having been an indie darling as frontwoman of ... The disc kicks off with the old-time gospel "Run Devil Run," with Chandra and Leigh Watson providing a cappella ...
  23. ^ The Absolute Sound 162 - 2006 - Page 141 "The opener, "Run Devil Run," is a breathy, gospel-tinged number, and the notions of God or the absence of God and love or lost ..."
  24. ^ Hi-fi News - Volume 51 - 2006: Page 105 "blast of impassioned close harmony bluegrass-style vocals on 'Run Devil Run' it's obvious that Lewis is less worried about ..."
  25. ^ Rabbit Fur Coat - The Watson Twins > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2006.
  26. ^ "Rilo Kiley regroups under "Blacklight"". Reuters. 16 July 2007.