Frightened Rabbit is just one more band to have emerged from Glasgow, Scotland, but The Midnight Organ Fight should propel them to the top of that list of notables. Their second album release in under a year takes many of the elements they previously established and energizes them with a lyrical delivery, percussive punch and forceful guitar that all scream with desperation for nearly the entire 50 minutes of work.
The easiest element to identify in Frightened Rabbit's music is the driving guitars and rhythms that consistently push the music forward until it's on the brink of falling over itself. This could be the most identifiable aspect because Frightened Rabbit chooses to employ it in so many of their songs. However, it also helps that since the Arcade Fire used this technique so successfully on their indie blockbuster Funeral and their subsequent release, Neon Bible, almost any indie rock album is going to have a track or two that uses - and more often abuses - this technique. Yet, Frightened Rabbit uses constant, driving rhythms as the backbone of their sound. Instead of continuously covering it up with layers of excess instrumentation, they keep their sound much more simple and unassuming, achieving a climax of sound that consists of merely electric, acoustic and percussion elements, producing a much fresher sound than most.
As mentioned before, so much of this album's emotion, especially heard in lead singer Scott Hutchinson's delivery, comes from the desperation and strong resolve they have infused into their fresh sound. The singer is constantly either pleading for another's love or reveling in the opportunity to be loved no matter the circumstances. On the uncomfortably intimate song, The Twist,"" they go so far as to say, ""Whisper the wrong name / I don't care and nor do my ears."" Eccentric lines like this are an aspect of Frightened Rabbit's music that pop up every time you forget to look for them, making it a fun listen at times. Another example is the ambiguous pick-up line, ""You're the shit, and I'm knee deep in it.""
These eccentricities are needed because most of the songs are about love, and toward the end of the album, the theme begins to wear thin. Another aspect that distracts from the monotonous lyrical themes is the varied instrumentation styles that come up every few songs. The bluegrass-tinged ""Good Arms vs. Bad Arms"" and ""Old Old Fashioned"" excel in this area and are two of the best tracks on the album.
The band's first release, Sing the Greys, was like getting something that everyone else was missing - a unique, unprocessed success. But after this release, more listeners should be able to understand Frightened Rabbit's appeal. Although it still may be too sentimental or simple for some, the album attacks those sensitive areas with such urgency that its songs ooze emotion and an authenticity that will leave a widespread impression.
