There's a tired clich? that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Obviously it's not. It's like writing about architecture. But with less focus on health and safety legislation. And architecture journalists probably don't come out with trite descriptions like ?Richard Rogers? Pompidou Centre is architecture of the high-tech style? ON ACID!?
However the challenge with music-writing comes when you are trying to get across your enthusiasm about something that belongs to a genre not known for being original or exciting.
This is the problem we've had with Frightened Rabbit. Sure we can throw out praise, like the fact that their second album ?Midnight Organ Fight? is one of the best albums of the last ten years but, even taking into consideration the fact that we've listened to A LOT of albums in the last decade, it's still just sounds like hyperbole from a faction of journalism not renowned for its faint praise.
Luckily this is the internet so you can just click the links below and hear what they sound like for yourself. Yay!
Frightened Rabbit are indie rock in the old sense. Maybe it's the weather, or the outsider mentality (or Celtic fury at our crass generalisation) but people with things to say still want to make heartfelt, break-up music in Scotland.
In England, all we make now is awful ?anthemic? indie. If we hear another sweeping string section sung to a one-size-fits-all-listeners sounds-really-deep-actually-means-fuck-all refrain we?ll scream.
Since Britpop?s cocaine-fuelled heyday there's not been enough ?losers? in pop music.
Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchinson is a loser. Not in the American jock sense of the word; he's loved and he's lost. Losing may hurt but it teaches you about yourself, if not in the way you'd want. It fucks with your perspective, but in relationships there's a whole lot more ?truth? in bitterness and paranoia than there is in balanced analysis.
Their third album ?Winter of Mixed Drinks? is a more positive album than its predecessor. It's the sound of a man telling himself things are looking better. Hecklerspray were lucky enough to catch them recently at Manchester Academy.
Hutchinson manages to convey the emotions of the album beautifully and, as he shares his darkest thoughts lyrically, he makes the confessions seem celebratory. The sound is driven by Grant Hutchinson?s richter scale-bothering drumming but the set?s highlight is Scott?s acoustic numbers (Good Arms vs Bad Arms and the sublime Poke) where there are no obstacles between him and the audience.
It's only a matter of time before rock?s best kept secret breaks out. Their musical and lyrical accessibility ensures there will be no middle ground for them. Some of their lyrics might be profane and dark, but so are the thoughts and emotions of the spurned and the heartbroken and as any music fan knows, music that captures the human experience is anything but depressing.
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