Interview: Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison

Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, the band played the Mann Center in Philadelphia on August 8.

Frightened Rabbit is a quintet of some good old fashion Scottish indie rockers. They’ve released three albums to date, including last year’s critically acclaimed The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The original “Frabbit” is Scott Hutchison, who began playing solo shows under the moniker Frightened Rabbit in 2003, expanded to include his brother Grant (drums), multi-instrumentalists Billy Kennedy and Andy Monaghan, and recently rounded off with the addition of Gordon Skene on additional guitar. They are currently in the middle of a massive US tour with Death Cab for Cutie which runs until the end of August.

Every Day I’m Tumblin’

I finally joined tumblr, because it seems like a better place to post mp3s and videos I like than creating individual WordPress posts just to talk about how much I love “Security to the Promenade” by Johnny Foreigner. You can follow me below, and since I’m new to this, I’ll probably follow you back before I realize your tumblr is pictures of cats with captions.

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Death Cab for Cutie w/ Frightened Rabbit @ The Mann, 8/5/11

Quick Notes:

Frightened Rabbit

-Saw them twice in the same day, they did the same set. Didn’t mind at all.

-Seated in the fifth row of a near-sold out show by the grace of their guest list. I have never been nor will I ever again be able to afford to sit that close to any stage, anywhere, ever.

-Leaned heavy on Midnight Organ Fight and some selections from Winter of Mixed Drinks, did premiere a song from their tour only EP, “Scottish Wind.” Crowd loved ‘em.

-The two girls sitting next to me were clearly still in high school and made me feel old at the age of 20.

Death Cab for Cutie

-Never underestimate the sad stereotyped feeling that comes with being a male 20 year old at the Death Cab for Cutie concert alone.

-This stereotype was reinforced by the messenger bag containing my notepad, which bears at least six badges. I also spent the majority of the Frightened Rabbit set scribbling questions in said notepad, enlisting askew glances from my row-mates.

- “You Are A Tourist” is easily the best song off of the new Codes and Keys, and likely to be the only one that will stick around for the setlist after this tour ends.

-Number of people I could see, without turning my head, who filmed Ben Gibbard playing “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”: At least 7.

-Left halfway through the set to go interview Frightened Rabbit, learned that the Philly skyline seen from the law seats at the Mann Center is  gorgeous.

-Number of people drinking when I entered the Frightened Rabbit dressing room: All of them.

-Scottish Whiskey > American Whiskey

-Returned at the end of the Death Cab set to watch the encore. After rousing renditions of “The Sound of Settling” and “Transatlanticism,” my theory that Transatlaticism  is the best album DCFC will ever make is confirmed.

Review: Copy Haho and the Affable Indie Record

Copy Haho | Copy Haho

Slow Learner, 2011     

Hailing from a small town near Aberdeen, Scotland, Copy Haho are four agreeable lads who’ve got a thing for pop music and rocking out. After an electrifying EP in 2009, Bred for Skills and Magic, the group has returned with a full length debut, the aptly titled Copy Haho, out now on Slow Learner.

If the effect of titling a record after yourself is to properly introduce the band (i.e. Meet the Beatles or Bob Dylan), then Copy Haho shows us that they’re all about sunny, energetic pop on this eleven track LP. The guitars swing around with a jaunty edge and the vocals come at that mid-tenor range that hovers just below whiny power pop. Introspective lyrics by the group’s singer Joe Hearty have a particular fixation on the difficulties of being in an indie band (“Factory Floor,” “Waiting for Something to Happen”)

It’s a typical pop record, the kind that’s been around for years. It’s got the guitar riffs, the vocal harmonies, and a summery sound that has proven so well over time. Copy Haho are very good at making pop music too; I enjoyed listening to this album far more than other notable indie pop albums from the last two years. But the problem lies in that Copy Haho is a practice in making a particular sound, and it rarely strays from the very basic “four sweaty boys with guitars having a good old time” ethos. The redundancy of the verse and chorus guitar songs makes the moments of this 37-minute record blend together after a while. The whole middle of the record feels like a blur of twirling melodies and hits to the snare drum. Listening through, it was easy to get really pumped up by “Wrong Direction,” but by the time the album reaches its center on “Demons and Gods” that amped feeling became mild confusion of the “haven’t I heard this before?” variety. The overall sameness of the tracks drags the record down.

Personal feelings on this record are as jumpy as Copy Haho’s sound. After listening to it for what my iTunes assures me is at least a dozen times (probably more because I burned it to a CD-R to take in my car), I start to see where the album is on point and where it goes a bit wrong. The album is bookended by some very stellar tracks (“Wrong Direction,” “Pestle and Mortar,” “Accent Changed”) but again, the middle leaves something to be desired, something more reflective or softer-edged perhaps. A break from the storm of guitars and drums that make me bob my head and dance around my bedroom. To my American ears, Hearty’s vocals were muddied in his Scottish brogue (a problem also encountered when listening to Frightened Rabbit and the Twilight Sad). There’s probably something in those thick tongued ululations that I’m missing, but I won’t really know until I’ve listened to it enough to make out the syllables.

To summarize, Copy Haho is worth the buy, although Bred for Skills and Magic is probably the better choice if you want the best this band can offer. Copy Haho are young, and incredibly bold for the path they’ve chosen, for which I have total respect. It’s evident in this record and their rock-the-shit live performances that they love their jobs, and it’s that heart and soul that make the best pop groups.

Review: James Blake 5/9/2011 at the First Unitarian Church

James Blake performed at the First Unitarian Church on May 9th, 2011

Last night I had the privilege of seeing the up-and-coming electronic producer James Blake play at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.

And we’re back…

Hey there readers. Odds are most of you did not notice me floating off into space like Major Tom at the end of Bowie’s “Space Oddity” but I’m back from foreign trials and travails in Europe, with a wealth of new musical encounters, upcoming shows, and ideas for the Summer. Stick around later this week for our review of the James Blake show in Philadelphia at the First Unitarian Church.

~Brendan

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Review: A Lot To Like About Former Ghosts’ New Love

Former Ghosts | New Love

Upset the Rhythm, 2010

New Love is a standout entry from an up-and-coming new artist. Ruppert should be proud of the work on this one. The album gives Former Ghosts its own identity and pulls it out of the shadow of its more well-known related projects of Xiu Xiu and Zola Jesus.