Search - Frightened Rabbit :: The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Frightened Rabbit - Teetering on the edge of greatness

Red on Black | Cardiff | 03/09/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"4.5 stars



Frightened Rabbit's previous album "The Midnight Organ fight" has attracted a fierce loyalty for its stunning songs of passion and heartbreak. It is one of the great British albums of the past decade bar none and showed that this Scottish band alongside other contemporaries like the Twilight Sad are bringing an awesome level of new energy to music north of the border.



The weight of expectation particularly after an album so loved is bound to be sky-high but more than that "TMOF" is a deeply personal record which the listener almost appropriates from the band and its great confessional songwriter Scott Hutchison. Are we therefore inevitably heading for dissapointment?



Hutchinson himself has stated that that the Winter of Mix Drinks is "less obviously personal and brutal than the last record" and I suspect that those looking for the ferocious lyrics combined with the gossamer tenderness of songs like "Poke" or "My Backwards Walk" may be disappointed. The Winter of Mixed Drinks (great title) is a much more expansive rock album; some have even called it a bid for stadium status. Whatever the case it marks a linear progression from "Midnight Organ Fight" into a much bigger sound and a new chapter for the band. This is achieved in this reviewers humble opinion without Frightened Rabbit losing those key characteristics that generate the passionate fan base and the rough edges which make this band such a joy.



The album gets off to a superb start with "Things". Waves of guitar roll out and then Hutchison's vocal kicks in. It is a big song that builds over four minutes into an anthem that will have the lighters waved in the air at festivals and will be superb show opener. It is followed by the single "Swim until you can't see land" a melodic rock song with wonderful band harmonies and a tender lead vocal. The highlights then start to pile up.



"The Wrestle" sees Hutchison's distinctive Selkirk accent and vocals to the fore in what must be a brilliant emerging anthem for the band. The thumping second single "Nothing like you" is bold and brash song that will be a live favourite. The albums highlight quickly follows. "Footshooter" it's a signature song by the band and effortless. Underpinned by a yearning melody and beautifully paced. It is precisely because of songs like this that this band is so special. The same applies to the truly wonderful "Not Miserable" with Hutchinson's voice to forefront and with the wonderful slow build so characteristic of FR. The album ends with the lovely and plaintive "Yes I would" which is probably the song from this album that would have sat happiest on the Midnight Organ Fight.



This album therefore marks a departure but a welcome one. The context of TMOF was a of a torrid break up for Hutchison and in a strange way it reminded me in spirit of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" albeit the music is miles apart. It's probably a one off, never to be repeated. The Winter of Mixed Drinks is more conventional but also bigger and bolder. It is not so painfully confessional but the essence of Frightened Rabbit is intact and possibly the best emerging band in the UK has produced its bid to be a major league player."

Improving and increasing polish with every release

Jeff Loudon | Nashville, TN | 03/11/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Frightened Rabbit began in 2003 when Scott Hutchinson started performing using the alias. The following year, Scott teamed up with his brother, Grant, in Glasgow, Scotland. The duo gained a great deal of local popularity before Billy Kennedy joined the band in 2006.



The same year, they released their debut album, Sing the Greys, under their own label, Hits the Fan Records. After numerous positive reviews, Univeral picked up the record for release in both the U.K. and the U.S. Their popularity grew substantially after their sophomore album, The Midnight Organ Flight, hit the shelves in April of 2008 with new member Andy Monaghan on keys and now, two years later, Frightened Rabbit is back with their highly anticipated third album.



Fans of Frightened Rabbit's earlier work will instantly notice the increased polish applied to every track on the album. Where The Midnight Organ Fight excelled in presenting a live feel while still maintaining the clarity of studio recordings, The Winter of Mixed Drinks is mastered to a perfect shine with more reverb and delay added to the mix to perhaps simulate the slightly distant listener feel of their previous two records.



With a sound a bit like Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows singing for Arcade Fire, Frightened Rabbit have released a collection of radio-worthy tunes that are sure to increase their fan base exponentially. There's less direction on the album as a whole compared to their earlier work, but the songs flow well from track to track and each song has an equally catchy hook. The first single, "Swim Until You Can't See Land" is the perfect introduction for listeners new to the band, but there are plenty of other brilliant tracks left as rewards for new and longtime fans alike.



Although The Midnight Organ Fight is considered by most to be Frightened Rabbit's breakout record, I believe the band will see much greater results with this release. Easily one of the best releases of 2010 so far, the additional instrumentation added to the background along with enhanced recording techniques may turn some of their original fans off, but the end result will prove very successful as it has for many bands before them. I would highly recommend all new listeners start here and work their way backwards.



Similar Artists: The Shins, Arcade Fire



Track Suggestion: "Foot Shooter""

Here's your shovel, there's the ground

Andrew M. Allport | NY | 03/10/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had to buy this on the release date. I've been streaming this album via NPR, for days, almost constantly. There is not enough music with this kind of grandeur, beauty, and gut punch all crafted into urgent pop songs. You listen to this gorgeous misery, and you don't want to just lay on the couch and die -- you want to kick the couch to pieces, throw it in the fireplace, and burn the whole place down."