Empty Bottle

I first listened to Frightened Rabbit’s 2008 release, Midnight Organ Fight, in the summer and was struck by the immediacy and lack of pretension in their music. Raw with threadbare emotion, the lyrical themes seemingly hold meaning in these tumultuous times, with topics centering on relationship and human warmth, literally and metaphorically.

The Glasgow, Scotland lads made a Saturday stop at the Empty Bottle in Chicago for two, back-to-back, sold-out shows. The band, whose inception dates to 2004 when drummer Grant Hutchinson joined lead vocalist and brother Scott, is capturing well-deserved critical acclaim for Midnight Organ Fight. The album is produced by Peter Katis (Spoon and National) and the similarities are certainly evident”Spoon for its stripped-down-to-the-essentials sound and National for muscular, driving drums; nice additions for sure, but that Scottish folk-rock foundation that FR became known for after releasing its debut, Sing the Greys, is still abundant throughout their latest.

As strong as these songs are when coming at you through the headphones, they seem made for the stage and FR sweat them out with such heart-on-the-sleeve emotional energy, that they almost will them to perfection. The band displayed so much passion and connected with the audience at such a high level, that I left the Bottle, following the early show, wondering how these guys could possibly rally for a second show. No, these guys don’t just mail it in, they bring it all to the stage and leave nothing in reserve.

The band’s management and label recognized this and leveraged the appeal by taking the rather audacious step of releasing a live album in late ’08. Yes, a live record for a band with a catalogue consisting of two albums. Yet, after witnessing the band perform, you almost come to understand the strategy. Saturday’s set-list kicked off with the band’s most popular track, a pulsating rendition of Modern Leper, giving everyone the clear sense that they were in for a treat. When performed live, Modern Leper builds to a crescendo with a loud/quiet/louder evolution, a style that worked quite well for Nirvana’s roaring anthems of the ’90s. It also leaves you with the sense that this band’s anthemic qualities could translate well to larger venues as awareness of their music grows.

There were plenty of highlights including Scott’s solo acoustic version of Floating in the Forth, which he strummed while standing off-stage and sang without the use of amplification. For me however, the third song in the set, Old Old Fashioned stood out. Aside from a the charmingly ragged Scottish kick, the theme seems perfectly set for 2009–getting back to the basics and taking account of what’s important in life. Well, my list of what’s important now includes seeing these guys perform whenever I get the chance. Your’s should too.

Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper

Frightened Rabbit, Live and Acoustic on LiveDaily Sessions

Watch the video of Frightened Rabbit at LiveDaily.

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