Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
Review of the Scottish Indie Band's 2008 Sophomore Album
Jun 25, 2009
In a time when every band worth its salt is looking for something profoundly unique to set itself apart from the masses, fans will rejoice in Frightened Rabbit’s classic, simple, songwriting and heart-on-sleeve lyrical dexterity. In their excellent sophomoric album, Selkirk, Scotland’s finest exports have delivered an album that is as full of triumphal melodies as it is agonized lyrics.
Frightened Rabbit and Emotional Angst
Thank God for post-relationship misery. The songs on The Midnight Organ Fight are almost entirely about the break-up of frontman Scott Hutchison's long-term relationship, in all its sordid glory. It's a frankness that is in many ways matched by the band's music, which is intensely raw and always driven by melody.
The key here is Scott's driving-yet-affecting songwriting combined with an undeniably rustic and scruffy quality. With a heavier pop aesthetic than 2007’s Sing the Greys, The Midnight Organ Fight is full of vigorous rock tunes that glimmer with soul, and ballads that ache with masculine vulnerability.
"The Modern Leper"
The opening track, “The Modern Leper”, is a big tune filled with self-loathing and hope, and sums up the album’s sonic and lyrical scope: an upbeat melody contrasted with dark lyrics (“You must be a masochist to love a modern leper on his last leg”). Though nothing else on the album hits the pop high of its first track, the I'm-not-good-enough sentiments are prevalent on all the album's best numbers.
"The Twist"
In track after track, Scott expresses that need for the warmth of another human being, however unworthy he may feel of it. And nowhere is it more prevalent than “The Twist”. The song is a heartbreaker, and strangely erotic in its desperation.
Forlorn yet tender he pleads, "Let’s pretend I’m attractive, and then you won’t mind to come twist for awhile/ It’s the night, I can be who you like, and I’ll quietly leave before it gets light” and “So twist and whisper the wrong name, I don’t care and nor do my ears/ And twist yourself around me, I need company, I need human heat.”
"Keep Yourself Warm"
Those sentiments are also echoed in "Keep Yourself Warm": "You won't find love in a hole/ It takes more than ****ing someone to keep yourself warm." He's lost, but Scott's rough voice convinces with every word, and his band's animated rhythms and rough-hewn guitar exchanges keep the mood from ever getting gloomy or emotional.
"I Feel Better"
“I Feel Better” is an attempt at closure and the process of recovery, set to erratic guitar strumming and well-timed horn blasts. When he sings “This is the last song I’ll write about you” he is outwardly confident, but inside he’s trying to convince himself.
The above are just a few examples in an album full of substantial tracks. The wistful weepfest “Good Arms vs Bad Arms” will make you want to give Scott a great big hug, and “Heads Roll Off” is just plain super.
Frightened Rabbit have developed beyond the melancholic folk-pop of Sing the Greys, but they haven’t abandoned their allegiance to the sound they perfected on their debut album, playing electronic and acoustic guitars against each other for thumping mid-tempo beauties that oscillate with nervous energy and impassioned lyrics.
The beauty of The Midnight Organ Fight is that it works in any location at any time. It is of such ample quality that it can last through repeated listenings during lonely, idyllic times, yet still has a high enough ratio of fantastic pop hooks to suit a more lively juncture.
Also be sure to check out the live, acoustic recording of the album, Quietly Now!, which was released in 2009.
The Midnight Organ Fight is a top-notch sophomore album from a band to watch.
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