Frightened Rabbit Side Project

Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchinson has a side project. Listen to Owl John's "Hate Music" now on Soundcloud:

Owl John is the side project (and the name of the album) which I've been working on for a couple of months now, along with Andy and our good friend Simon Liddell. We didn't tell many people about it and we think it's best that you find out first, so we are giving you the first listen to the song 'Hate Music' from the album.

Terrible Love

Insanely jealous I did not see this Frightened Rabbit/the National rendition of "Terrible Love."

Best Frightened Rabbit Songs

Stereogum counts down the best Frightened Rabbit songs. Man, I am bummed they didn't open for the National when we saw them. 

That way the band has been on a steady slow-burn of a rise is just one way in which they’ve always felt akin to the National. Frightened Rabbit is currently opening for the National, and it’s the sort of match-up that seems so perfect (but also overwhelming), that it’s curious how it hasn’t happened till now. There’s quite a bit of shared DNA between the two, from their shared reliance on building tension and eventually, maybe, releasing it and the fact that both of their sounds have been shepherded into maturation by producer Peter Katis. (Both bands wound up contributing to If a Lot of Bands Play in the Woods…?, a covers album in tribute to Katis’ band Philisitnes, Jr. You should listen to Frightened Rabbit’s cover of “My Brother Tom, The Green Beret.”) Most importantly, each of them favor a mode of storytelling that’s deeply personal. The National’s Matt Berninger often goes cerebral and impressionistic; Scott Hutchison usually goes drunk and ragged and brutally honest. It’s the kind of approach that can be off-putting, but obviously rewarding once you’ve dug in and given a bit of yourself back to the music.

The Loneliness and the Scream is their #4; it's my personal favorite:

“The Loneliness And The Scream” might rank as the unquestionable #1 on some Frightened Rabbit fans’ lists, and I might wind up in that camp some day. To be entirely honest, while I always liked the song, I’m just new to thinking it’s this good. The moment of conversion came with seeing the band in April, when they closed the night with this. Before that, it had always felt like “The Loneliness And The Scream” built and built but never quite burst into the payoff it seemed to want; call it a victim of the way so much of The Winter Of Mixed Drinks feels huge minute by minute. Live, though, you do get that payoff, the band letting the whole thing loose, a theatre full of fans screaming along to those “oh oh ohs” at the end. For a band that’s used such refrains time and time again, this is the definitive one. Which makes sense, since this song sums up everything about Frightened Rabbit for many listeners. Much of the earliest parts of the song revolve around images of, well, loneliness—not so much about the fallout of the relationship or social anxiety or whatever, but the isolation that lingers down the road. Then comes the other part of the title: “And the scream to prove/ To everyone/ That I exist.” In some ways, you can ascribe that to Frightened Rabbit’s entire career, down to the way their misleadingly shy name contrasts with the magnitude of their sound. It’s the sentiment that drives so much of their music and many of Hutchison’s lyrics, a longing to be acknowledged. All the yells feel different, more triumphant, when you hear it live, amongst hundreds or thousands of fans. At that point, nobody needs to prove anything anymore.

 I know someone who would want to include "The Wrestle..."

New Frightened Rabbit

After a stellar album earlier in the year, Frightened Rabbit will release an EP on September 10 with a few new singles. I really like "Radio Silence." It is quite catchy and worth the download. Here's the full track list, courtesy of Stereogum.

01 “Late March, Death March”
02 “Radio Silence”
03 “Candlelit”
04 “Default Blues”
05 “The Oil Slick (Live at Barrowlands)”

Frightened Rabbit: Released!

Pedestrian Verse is released, though I've been streaming it for a week. I like it, though the Winter of Mixed Drinks remains my favorite Rabbit release. Paste describes it, stating: "Pedestrian Verse subsequently sounds more complete than the band’s previous efforts. The album is a little less jittery and a bit more streamlined. It’s lighter on the frenetic acoustic strumming and balanced by melodies played by electric guitars like in second single “The Woodpile.” The keyboards, too, play a more prominent role, particularly in the metaphorical (or maybe not?) “Backyard Skulls.”" However, the review is concerned that some of the Rabbit's "restless charm" missed out.

AV Club gives it a solid "A."  While this "sad Scottish band" has been lumped in with other similar groups, FR also has the ability to make the "gloomy anthemic." The album builds on earlier work and album patterns, but the album still shines despite occasional tics. It's exuberant. A great word.

Consequence of Sound also reviews the album as triumphing over flaws.

But Frightened Rabbit’s so-called faults — the band’s self-indulgent lyrics, indie-rock styling, damned catchy choruses — have always been their strengths as well, and the band must know it. It takes a perversely honest musician to admit his own flaws, and as Frightened Rabbit ‘fesses up, we love them more. Would that we could all see as clearly, that we could downplay something as precious as Hutchison’s voice, as he does here, rather than preening. Would that we could find our faults, and in finding, possibly correct them — developing ourselves rather than sinking further into self-indulgence. “There is light but there’s a tunnel to crawl through… / we’ve still got hope so I think we’ll be fine,” Hutchison soothes, birds chirping of spring and healing in the background. Indeed, would that we all had the audacity to call our own master works “pedestrian.”

Oh, a "master word." Finally a top ten album candidate is released!

New Frightened Rabbit

While it's one more week til Pedestrian Verse is officially released, you can stream it now on the Guardian's site. Click here to listen to it. Got to love the new Frightened Rabbit!

And two other first listens worth listening to: Thao and Jim James, both on NPR Music. Love Music Mondays!

New Frightened Rabbit Video

Frightened Rabbit debuted a new song, "The Woodpile," which will be available on its forthcoming album "Pedestrian Verse." It's a terrific track, and I'm anticipating the full release on February 5. And they will be at the 9:30 Club on April 7.  So much good music ahead in 2013!

New Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit just leaked a new track of their upcoming album, "Dead Now." Watch the video HERE.

Frightened Rabbit

Here's a great review of last week's concert.

Frightened Rabbit Concert

I can't say that the Black Cat is my favorite venue, but Frightened Rabbit was a favorite concert of mine. Scott Hutchinson is an engaging, out there lead singer, and he did a fabulous job of getting the crowd into the music. Not that he needed to. There were lots of die-hard fans, and the band played a fantastic.

Here is the setlist. I think my favorite tracks were "Old Old Fashioned," "Music Now," (an early track I was not familiar with) and "The Loneliness and the Scream." The only somewhat disappointment was that they kept to the same track lists as to their other concerts.  But it was a fun show, and I'd definitely see them again.

First Black Cat Show

So a hole in my concert going experience has been never seeing a show at the Black Cat. That should change on Sunday night when we see Frightened Rabbit, a favorite band in our household."State Hospital" is their latest single. We love Winter of Mixed Drinks.

As a side note, I'm enjoying the Lord Huron album streaming on NPR music.

Other great shows around town include the Walkmen at the 9:30 Club and Greg Laswell & Katie Herzig at Rock & Roll Hotel. The latter also on Sunday! Thank God for holiday weekends!

New Frightened Rabbit & Ben Gibbard

"State Hospital," the new EP by Frightened Rabbit, is streaming here. It's title track is a favorite.

Also, check out this single from Ben Gibbard of Death Cab. "Teardrop Windows" will appear on "Former Lives," out next month.

New Frightened Rabbit

It's no secret we're big Frightened Rabbits around our parts. And now we finally get to hear a new single. Listen to "State Hospital" here. And on October 7, we're looking forward to the Black Cat to see one of our favorites in person.

Frightened Rabbit Mix

I wasn't in the mood to listen to just one thing today, so I put in something Frightened Rabbit mix on We Are Hunted. And it sounds like FR have started recording a new album! And apparently they're Tigers fans, too!