record reviews:

Frightened Rabbit

The Midnight Organ Fight

(FatCat)

The Midnight Organ Fight opens with an upbeat folky song titled "The Modern Leper". If you make it through this song and don’t feel like Frightened Rabbit is altogether too Scottish for you, then you’re in for a treat. If you can’t tough it out though the fast tempo and fiddle driven power ballad, then there’s no way that you’re going to survive the duration of this album.

After opening the album with a powerful, punchy song, the pace for the entire album has been set. Every song has flare, and a certain Scottish folk charm to it. The twang of the Scottish accent adds to the ambient glowing UK energy that Frightened Rabbit exudes.

As the album progresses through its 14 tracks (quite a good bellyful of  songs from an indie band), the songs stray from the playful energy that they upheld through the first half of the album. Deep in the middle stretch of this album the lyrical content strays from songs about drinking and dancing to emotionally fueled songs. "My Backwards Walk" is a prime example of the dramatic midsection of the album, as well as a track that powerfully stands out amongst the other songs on this album.

If you have made it to the end of the album, then Frightened Rabbit has obviously latched on to you. They will burrow their way into you heart and leave you strangely admiring their oddities. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who likes drinking, dancing, and a trip off the beaten path.

— Alexis Roberts

www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit

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