Frightened Rabbit from Selkirk, Scotland is made up of brothers Scott and Grant Hutchinson, Billy Kennedy, Andy Monaghan and newly added member Gordon Skene. Two years after their loved record The Midnight Organ Fight the fives Scots have released The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The album is more linear than Frightened Rabbits' previous, following somewhat of a concept. While not entirely a concept album The Winter of Mixed Drinks focuses entirely on overcoming a dark period. The album begins with the song "Things." This track opens with reverberated guitar and faint piano. A slight musical build introduces the calm vocals of lead singer Scott. The song builds through its entirety but never really sets off. Instead as the song closes with finger picked acoustics the album transitions straight into "Swim until You Can't See Land." The first single off the album is accompanied with a strangely creative music video. In it an on looking crowd flickers flashlights in a circle around the performing band members. The song is upbeat and full of high noted keys backed by a choir of Grant, Billy and Andy. Singing through the determined chorus Scott asks "Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?" "The Wrestle" kicks off with a poppy bass line which quickly becomes joined by Grants smashing drums. The lyrics are muffled and mostly overshadowed by the instruments and backing vocals making the vocals them self seem emotionally distanced. "Nothing Like You" the bands second single opens fast reminiscent of many a song from The Midnight Organ Fight. Lyrics boast of moving on and finding new love and burying the old: "She was not the cure for cancer/ And all my questions still ask for answers/ There is nothing like someone new/ And this girl she was nothing like you." The album hits its intermission with a two and a half minute prologue to "Swim Until You Can’t See Land." Next is "Foot Shooter," the most morose on the album. Drum line like beats and a slew of solemn backing vocals create a tone reminiscent of "Poke" or "Backwards Walk" from The Midnight Organ Fight. Scott's melancholy regret begs for sympathy. The whole album is overloaded with layers of instruments and choral backing vocals providing a lost kind of feel throughout. From song to song music builds and builds without ever really breaking. In most cases this would be unlikeable. But on this album it works towards the theme. The feeling of desperation to seek something better and the devastating blow of not succeeding can be felt effortlessly. |
