When my buddy Jack went to Scotland he was drinking with a group of people and cited the ‘beer before liquor never been sicker’ rule. One of his Scottish drinking partners said, “What the fook are you talking about? Just FOOKIN’ DRINK!” I tell this story because I kept thinking about it while listening to Frightened Rabbit’s debut album Sing the Greys. This Glasgow band isn’t citing rules about making music, they’re just fookin’ making it.
Their debut album begins with drums, bass, and guitar all pounding together and the question; “What’s the blues when you’ve got the greys?” As the song builds, you can’t help but get sucked in – drinking a pint, pounding your fist on the bar to the beat, and singing along, “I woke up this morning and thought the world might be a more colorful place, but no luck…it’s still greeeey!!!”
The album has quiet songs that will charm you (”Behave”), make you feel like you’re listening to your own inner dialogue on the trite state of the world (”Yawn”), and take you to this humble, almost folky world where everyone speaks in a Scottish accent…but wait, don’t get too comfortable because a few minutes later Frightened Rabbit will come out like a rabid rabbit and pound the hell out of every instrument they own.
If you insist on having an experimental aspect to your music, don’t worry the boys have you covered. Sing the Greys has three ambient ‘incidents’ sprinkled throughout.
If you like the band, dig around for their b-sides (they’re just as good if not better than what is on the album), and check out their MySpace page where they have exclusive live songs. If you live on the east coast, you can catch Frightened Rabbit live this week.
“The Greys”
