Year of the Rabbit is the kind of band that is hard to put a finger on. It's poppy, yet subversive. It's simplistic, yet complicated. It's angry, but it's pleasantly calm at times.

And the uneven nature of their music makes for an uneven, yet satisfying album.

There is a great deal of redundancy to the band's self-titled debut. Nearly every song features crunching, muted chords that would sound almost identical if it wasn't for the intricate layering of music.

But what you get in the end is a mix of high-energy rock, trippy and psychedelic flow and a penchant for pushing things to the limit of repetition without jumping over the border of overkill.

The first six tracks on this 11-song record follow the same formula of power chord driven rock, all of which is pulled off with success thanks to vocals with reflections of non-screaming Deftones, Weezer and Eels. But the predictability of the bouncy verses, powerhouse choruses and token breakdowns manages to hold attention in a good way.

Toward the end of the disc the band mixes it up a bit. "Hunted" is a hauntingly spooky tune with eerie vocals and borderline intricate gothic guitar and bass. The song holds your attention as the chorus borders on chaos.

Even with the lovey-dovey "Hold Me Up" - where the band trades in the familiar hard-core twist for violins, acoustic guitars and happier lyrics - the band loses no ground. Although, the track likely will irk those with little patience for a love song on a predominately angry album.

"Year of the Rabbit" pulls off everything it attempts to. It's nothing particularly new, it's just fine-tuned power rock that holds its own throughout the soundtrack.