Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
I was talking to JC from the Vinyl Villain about this album and said ‘You know, they’re starting to remind me just a little bit of Snow Patrol’ and instead of punching me then and there, he enthusiastically replied in the affirmative. Now Snow Patrol weren’t always shit: Songs For Polar Bears was patchy, but a really interesting album, and When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up was just excellent. Nevertheless I kind of expected howls of outrage – being compared to Snow Patrol? Not an insult? When did that happen?
To be clear, despite knowing that Snow Patrol weren’t always crap, I can’t think of a nice way to be compared to them at the moment. This is not a compliment. What Midnight Organ Fight sounds like to me is a band warming up for their massive stadium rock record, and ascension to Radio 1 royalty.
Basically, this is a bigger, smoother, softer, rounder sound and what I was drawn to on the first album was the choppiness, the atonality and the idiosyncrasy. A lot of this has been comprehensively rubbed off this time around the block, and I think the album suffers for it. Not to say for a second that they have lost their ability to write a good tune, nor a rousing indie anthem, because they haven’t.
The Midnight Organ Fight is still chock-full of really good songs, so don’t let me pretend that I think it’s crap, because I don’t. But what it isn’t as far as I’m concerned is compelling, unlike Sing the Greys. I am listening to it as we speak, and fuck me, it is Snow Patrol, it really is.
In terms of the changes it reminds me a little of The Futureheads actually, whose second album had all the rough edges smoothed off and was only rescued by the quality of the tunes. A lot of this is musically just not that interesting, but fortunately the songs are decent so it’s okay. It feels strange to be criticising an album where I don’t actually dislike any of the songs, but I listen to this and enjoy it, and I wonder whether or not in six months’ time I will feel the urge to rush and put this album on the stereo and I am pretty much certain that I won’t.
Frightened Rabbit – Poke (This one’s a bit special)
Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper
Frightened Rabbit – Good Arms vs. Bad Arms
oh my god.
i pray to god they don’t “do a snow patrol” and water down their amazing sound for the benefit of the masses. listen a few more times to the LP, the songs are growers for sure.
Snow Patrol is exactly how i described that record the other day. Although I would say it does weave a bit of soothing magic on a hungover Sunday morn.
Ah…let me clear my part in this up. I do not deny that I acknowledged a Snow Patrol-esque tinge to much of the vocals and a hint of what you will find on the very early Snow Patrol LPs that came out on Jeepster Records BUT, and this is the biggest BUT you can inagine……… I do not believe that Midnight Organ Fight sounds anything like the MOR band that Snow Patrol have turned into.
I have championed this LP since I first heard an advance copy of it a couple of weeks prior to the release date. Unlike Toad, I know I will still be listening to it constantly in six years time, far less six months time for I’m in the ‘its an instant clasic’ camp. Maybe its because I’ve been lucky enough to capture the band live on a few occasions in the past week, and they really are, at this moment in time, so full of passion and intensity for what they do that the songs are taken to a new level.
The difference that Toad mentions between the two albums is interesting. Yes, Midnight Organ Fight it is a lot smoother than The Greys, and yes, it probably is a conscious effort by the boys in the band, their management and their record label to appeal more folk, but its a long way short of a genuine attempt to appeal to the masses. If that was the case, I’m sure the boys in the band, the management and their record label would have greatly reduced the amount of swearing that you’ll find on the songs.
The fact is that the band, who have become more accomplished in their singwriting and their playing have moved on from the early tunes and produced something very very special. I know its only speculation, but if Toad hadnt been able to compare it with the debut LP, he’d be raving about it a great deal more than he is.
Finally, If this was anyone other than Toad, I’d probably be ranting about the author’s inverted snobbery and him wishing the music was so pure that it just can’t on its own appeal to the masses – I’m not doing so because Toad has consistently shown over the part 18 months he isnt like that.
He’s simply got this one spectacularly wrong.
with apologies for the poor spelling and grammar above…but I was in a bit of a rant mode and this heat is making me very tired.
Yeah, sorry JC, I know you love the album – I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I also suppose I didn’t make it clear enough that we were both talking about early Snow Patrol – when they weren’t rubbish!
Actually, the indie-snob comment may have some merit. Not in a deliberately perverse way, I don’t think. I mean, I really don’t think I stop liking stuff as soon as it becomes accessible or as soon as other people latch on – or at least I certainly don’t do it consciously or on purpose – but looking at my musical tastes recently you could well be forgiven for thinking so.
I think it is to do with the fact that I am becoming more and more fond of demo recordings and the sort of scratchy, awkward, unpolished delivery that often accompanies them. Consequently, I am finding myself a lot less enchanted with more polished, poppy stuff. That’s not snobbery, or at least I hope it isn’t, more the fact that I am starting to prefer the rougher recordings for some reason. Maybe because I’m hearing more and more of them.
On the other hand, I think you make some very good points about the language. I definitely think that this album is veering towards a potentially very commercially viable sound indeed, and I think you agree. But I think you’re right that if they were doing anything like selling out then they would have made the language much more kiddy-friendly. I don’t think they’re pitching for the Radio 1 audience deliberately here, I just think that their musical inclinations are taking them somewhere smoother, which I am enjoying less.
I haven’t seen them live actually, or at least, not since before Christmas, and I’d really like to because both yourself and Euan (who is so disgusted by this review he can’t even muster the energy to slag me off) have repeatedly insisted that they are brilliant live and I do believe you. It also might help me get to grips with this album better, because a great live show can really make music take hold, even if it isn’t already.
I don’t, as I said, dislike anything on this album, and I would agree that the songwriting is excellent. It’s just that the smoother production isn’t giving me anything to quite get hold of yet. Maybe that’s what a live performance would do, you never know.
I thought you were going to see them last night? And you’re right. I cannot bring myself to comment on the review of the album. Actually – I totally can!! This album is a little gem. For a band who are so loud and furious live this album is laiden with melodies, harmonies and sweet hooks left right and centre. The vocal sounds nothing like Gary Lightbody whose voice has done nothing but annoy me for years – even when they were good!! Anyways, what I personally love about the vocal in this album and the first album for that matter is that like Wayne Coyne and Jeff Tweedy it sounds like his voice could give out at any given moment – yet it never does and adds so so much to the beauty of the album. Maybe it is more polished – what do you expect when you get Interpol/Mercury Rev’s producer in?? But I don’t think the album loses any edge. The songs are pounding, creative and positively bursting with ideas. The guitars have intensity and when they duel it’s just something so different to anything anyone else is doing at the moment. I think this is one of the best releases of the year and contrary to what you think Matthew, I think it builds on the greys – which was more a bunch demos I think. Anyways – I would write more but my work might kill me so I will continue this rant later this evening!!
)
I was on Fresh Air last night, mate, so I don’t think I could have made it.
ah i see – thought you were meeting bart beforehand. my bad.
Bart, Neil, Emily & a pint 7-8.30, radio 8.30-10.45.
Pint 7pm-8.26 I think you’ll find.
Frightened Rabbit floored me yet again.
I’ve not even heard this album and even I know you’re wrong.
I am gutted I missed it. They were awesome at the GRV the other week. What do you expect though Bart – we’re dealing with a man who cannot correctly calculate the time he was drinking with others last night?! I mean even I don’t believe he finished drinking with you at half 8 AND started his radio show at that time – unless ofcourse you were all drinking in the studio?
Sadly, that is forbidden.
What are we talking about again?
Drinking in the Fresh Air studio.
And Frightened Rabbit, whose new album I am failing to find as mind-blowing as everyone else. Thoughts?
yes – you’re nuts!!
I’ll admit I’m not hugely familiar with everything Frightened Rabbit has done, but I just downloaded Poke from you and it reminds me of Bright Eyes. Which is a good thing.
I can understand why the Snow Patrol comparison is tempting – and I realise you’re probably in agreement about this – but even to make it is insulting to a band like Frightened Rabbit, who clearly piss from a second storey window all over Gary Lightbody or whatever the fuck that sap is called.
The fact is that Scott Hutchison is a much better songwriter: wilfully original, difficult lyrics as opposed to cheap crowd-pleasers that are supposed to appeal to some fake collective sense of heartwarming-ness.
I think the only real similarity is that they both aim for raw emotion. FR do it authentically, Snow Patrol certainly don’t.
FR new LP = bollocks. I don’t like it.
Why ain’t my comments coming up when I post them? Am I on a stealth approve setting?
You keep getting snagged in my Spam Blocker. I have to go and, erm, manually de-spam you, if you get my drift. No idea why that’s happening, but I’m working on it.
a record that has blatant obscenities on 5 of the songs (including the first 2 songs, and arguably 5 of the best 6 songs on the record) is not striving for radio airplay / mass acceptance. i think they’ve upped the ante on musicianship while not losing anything in the songwriting category. a triumphant album, indeed.
I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying actually. I am not accusing them of making a play for the mainstream exactly, it’s just that the overall sound of the music sounds a lot to me like it’s heading that way. I’m definitely not accusing them of pimping themselves or anything like that.
This is the first time I have heard these songs (listening to them now on Song By Toad) and I am now going to immediately go out and buy the album. Friends had told me how good the new album was and I had deliberately avoided it. As a songwriter I find it depressing to listen to local contemporaries who are far more talented than me (which is most of them!) but these songs are so good I can’t help but listen to them without an enormous smile on my face! I have seen them live and I prefer them on record , but then that was before they became a 4-piece. Th melodies and harmonies remind me of REM which I think is a good thing.
Right, I’ll just put my slippers on and pop out to Fopp…