Bunnydrums

I remember first hearing about Bunnydrums through a 1983 compilation featuring Philadelphia new wave bands titled I'd Rather Be In Philadelphia. The track they did, "Sleeping," was the first track off that album. It was a atmospheric electronic dirge that got me interested in them.

Bunnydrums, formed in 1980, was one of the best bands that came out of the Philly's new music scene, even though they never had the commercial success of other bands like, say, the Hooters. They did a brand of moody and intense space-rock influenced the by science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick. Over the course of their five-year career they put out two albums (PKD and Holy Moly). two EP's (Feathers Web and On The Surface) and a single ("Little Room" b/w "Win") as well as a couple of compilation tracks. They also opened up for bands such as Gang Of Four, R.E.M., and Pylon. But by 1985 the band's line-up was starting to change due to creative differences and to struggling as a band not seen as "commercial," and by the end of the year the band had broken up.

In late 2003, Metropolis Records put out PKD/Simulacra and brought Bunnydrums into the CD age. PKD was their first full-length album (it came out in 1983) and Simulacra was a rare best-of. I think that it's very good to have their records back in print again. "Smithson" and "On The Surface" are my favorite tracks. There is also a Bunnydrums website that features video and audio clips as well as articles on the band.