Scottish indie rockers Frightened Rabbit are about to release their new album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, and you should definitely be excited. The album is instantly lovable--every song sits so well into the overall journey and aesthetic of the multi-layered, powerful, and earnest record. Consequence of Sound wrote a very accurate comment about the band and the album: "Frightened Rabbit once again establishes itself as the U2 of indie rock." Although I like Frightened Rabbit more than I will ever like U2, I see what they mean; the songs employ a slow build, infectious up-beat melodies, and intense instrumentation across the board. Every song feels like an anthem--think Fire Arcade's "Wake Up" but for an entire album--"Skip the Youth" is a perfect example. The best part of the album is that it makes you want to sing along. The many-vocaled choruses are always immersive and unbelievably positive, and yet the album's optimism somehow never gets annoying. I would fault the record for being so uniform in its style but I think it works. However, one potential flaw of the stylistically united approach is that the songs blur together and I wasn't left with any specific track that I absolutely loved, whereas some of their older songs like "Old, Old Fashioned" off of 2008's The Midnight Organ Flight became instant favorites. But then again, that's how I feel about my favorite Radiohead album, Hail to the Thief, which is a fantastic journey in full that I have no interest in teasing apart, so it just depends what sort of album experience you're seeking. Overall, I strongly recommend The Winter of Mixed Drinks.
