Frightened Rabbit - Sing The Greys (Album)
Frightened RabbitSing the Greys, oh yes, they do. And they do it all by themselves, thank you very much. As their website states “We are brothers…We don’t have anyone else in the band because we don’t have any other friends who are awesome.” But don’t let this rhetoric put you off, completely.
For those who have not heard of Frightened Rabbit, they are a three piece band of brothers from Glasgow with a penchant for melodious indie pop/rock. Their music can get you thinking, even swaying slowly to their sorrowful vocals or cleverly placed accordion but something you would only really move to alone, at 10:15 on a Saturday night.
There are some outstanding tracks on this release, the opening 'Sing the Greys' and following 'Music Now' set the tone for a brooding release aimed at those that like a little noise to their mourning. The faster, guitar beat driven tracks such as Square 9 stand up well and deserve attention while 'Yawns' conjures a heartfelt story of failing love, without spelling it out or forcing their lost relationships through your ears.
Shorter instrumental tracks dotted carefully between some tracks link the tracks together and add welcome mood to the release. Unfortunately, the occasional acoustic tracks throughout take away from this thoughtful approach and overall rock loud ‘greys’ they seem to be aiming for. Behave starts too slowly and drops the musical theme of the album too long whilst the final studio track 'Snake' details a conversation between a lonely man and his penis; material I thought already sufficiently covered thanks to Mr Bloody Wilson, and others.
This final track on the album I have is a live recording of the title track 'Sing the Greys' and does give the impression they would be well worth checking out live but at this stage there is no news of an upcoming tour to support this release.
The opening track begins ‘What’s the blues when you’ve got the greys?’ and while some might be inclined to ask “What’s the difference?’ Sing the Greys it still worth a listen. Fans of bands such as Clap your hands. Say Yeah! may enjoy, but there may be just as inclined to continue to enjoy what they have. Overall, Sing the Greys lives up to it name in some sense; it lands somewhat undefined somewhere in the middle.
Frightened Rabbit Sing the Greys is available online and, of course, free tastes are available on their MySpace. Overall, this is good first release and well worth a listen.
