FRIGHTENED RABBIT : THE WINTER OF MIXED DRINKS - REVIEW

The long-awaited new LP by Frightened Rabbit is available in stores and on-line as of today. Entitled The Winter Of Mixed Drinks, it is the band's third studio album following on from The Greys in 2006 and The Midnight Organ Fight in 2008.

It comes at a time when Frightened Rabbit are getting far more media attention than at any other point in their career. No longer are they merely a staple of the blogs with the occasional feature in the music press - nowadays they're just as likely to get mentions in the red-top tabloids (thankfully, it's just been in respect of the music and not as a result of any untoward shenanigans by the boys) while many of the UK broadsheets are falling over themselves to get interviews. Just the other week, they were the cover stars of the Saturday Magazine that comes with The Herald, Scotland's most popular paper of the that type. Click here for the full article.

Seeing as the band can no longer be regarded as a great secret, and also the fact that the new LP has tunes which will inevitably appeal more to the masses than any of their previous work, this is as convenient a time for many of the music snobs - of which I am never afraid to admit I am one - to get all sniffy and dismissive.

But not me. Certainly not on any account of the 11 songs that comprise The Winter Of Mixed Drinks.

There is no question that this is a Frightened Rabbit album different from the previous releases. But let's face it, given the background to the songs and tunes that made up The Midnight Organ Fight (almost all of them relate in some shape or form to a very painful break-up of a relationship), there is no way that Scott Hutchison could have come up with anything so angst-riden, emotional, heart-breaking and brutal in its frankness this time round. Especially when things seem to be going so well for him and his bandmates as their constant gigging on the back of that LP saw them become one of Scotland's most talked about bands, complete with sell-out tours and a place on the bill at Edinburgh's Hogmanay.

Yes, Frightened Rabbit in 2010 are a different beast from what we've all enjoyed before, but that is something to be applauded. This album is the work of a band who are way more certain about who they are and where they fit in nowadays in respect of the music scene. They are not afraid to aim high and record songs which will sound magnificent when they get the response from large crowds. And I reckon by the time they take their inevitable place on the bills of the outdoor festivals this coming summer, as well as a high-profile and prestigious slot supporting Snow Patrol at this outdoor gig in a Glasgow park that is no more than 400 yards from Villain Towers, there will loads of fist-pumping, arm-waving and singing-along by the massed ranks.

Ah, Snow Patrol. The band that Frightened Rabbit have often been compared to, by fans and detractors alike. Based on what little I know of Snow Patrol, which is just the various hit singles, there are some parts on The Winter Of Mixed Drinks where it is easy to spot the similarities . But only on some.....and not many.

My ears picked up loads of different 'influences' on these new songs. Hell, the first twenty seconds or so on the opening track Things had me thinking about the guitar riff Johnny Marr plays on How Soon Is Now? ......

And the other band that often came into my head a lot during my the three listens I've been able to give the record since picking up the preview copy? R.E.M.

True, Scott's vocal delivery is nothing like that of Michael Stipe, but some of the instrumentation from Grant, Billy, Andy and Gordon (the band now officially being a 5-piece) is truly wonderful. Here in Scotland, we are quick to dismiss local talent for some nebulous reason or other - usually to stop them getting too big for their boots. But if this was an album that five bearded blokes from Arkansas, Texas, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas (or indeed any part of the USA that wasn't urban or metropolitan), then the acclaim would be enormous.

Please, I'm not saying this album is perfect. I'm not convinced by either the tune or lyrics to current single Nothing Like You with its toe-curling lyric of 'she was not the cure for cancer' but to focus on any minor negatives would be wrong. Instead, consider the majesty of previous single Swim Until You Can't See Land, which must be a candidate for re-release later on this year so that it gets the chart placing it truly deserved.

There's a couple of other candidates for singles that will surely please the record label, particularly Living In Colour, the second to last track . On first listen, I dismissed it as one of the Snow Patrol moments. But next time round, it seemed much more akin to the likes of Music Now or Square 9 from the band's debut LP. Indeed, it was only on the third listen that I fully realised just how much closely related the sound and feel of this new LP is to that debut LP from four years ago - albeit The Winter of Mixed Drinks is bigger, bolder and far more confident sounding. And the result is that it as a better record to listen to.

I was really pleased that I found myself still enjoying this album after three listens in relatively quick succession over two days, and even more so when I realised that I couldn't in all honesty say which was my favourite track - evidence of the depth of quality that every listen seems to bring something new to my ears.

The Winter of Mixed Drinks is a far better LP than I feared it would be, and is one that, without question, will make more people sit up and take notice of Frightened Rabbit. Sure, the fan/snob in me will pine for the days of gigs at place like King Tut's, Mono or the Bowery as the band move onto headline the medium and large-size venues (particularly in Scotland) but there is no way that anyone should begrudge the boys the success that is coming their way. They've more than paid their dues over the past 5 years.......

It's almost akin to being a fan of a small football team. One of your young players comes through the ranks unnoticed at first, but gradually the fans of all the other teams you play against realise that you've unearthed a special talent and start talking about him. Slowly but surely, more attention gets paid to the young player's ability and skills. Then something happens that brings him to the attention of the big clubs (perhaps a live televised match) and their enormous fanbases....and before you know it he's moved on to join their ranks. Lower league football fans are well used to seeing real and genuine talent moving on to try and achieve fame and fortune on a scale that their own club will never be able to deliver. And the genuine fans, while sad to see such players move on, always wish them well.........and will keep an eye on how well they're doing afterwards.

Frightened Rabbit are on the cusp of the big league. I hope they make it. I hope they bring unadulterated joy to the masses. On the evidence of their new LP, they are more than capable.....

mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land

and here's some footage from the Summer of 2009 of Scott playing some the then unknown song in an Edinburgh park:-




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