A Release Day Review:
Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Over the past couple of weeks I've taken full advantage of the album stream of The Winter of Mixed Drinks,, the forthcoming album from Frightened Rabbit. The album was made available as a free stream in it's entirety over at the bands myspace page and at NPR until the album's release on march 9th, that's today folks.

I can't say enough good things about this record. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all this is the same band that knocked me on my ass with their sophomore album The Midnight Organ Fight. So I guess I should have seen this coming.

The Winter of Mixed Drinks consists of 11 stadium sized anthems and inevitably the band will be compared to the likes of Snow Patrol and Coldplay in the mainstream press. That's unfair, both because Frightened Rabbit our twice if not three times the band than either of those other bands and for the fact that the band have been quietly making their brand of majestic emotion Scottish rock over their three albums with little fanfare. They remain true to the formula, but somehow The Winter of Mixed Drinks sounds bigger than both of their early albums, like it's destined for the wide open spaces of arenas.

Scott Hutchinson has penned some of his most fully realized and accomplished songs for his bands new album and the solidified line up strengthens Hutchinson compositions with an effective and varied blend of instrumentation throughout. The songs themselves are powerful and impassioned. Take the albums centerpiece Not Miserable with it's church organ and building guitars, while Hutchinson declares "I am free from disease"or the goose bump inducing Swim Until You Can't See Land. These tracks only hint at the strength and beauty of this record. Admittedly it's a bit of grower at least compared to The Midnight Organ Fight, but after a few listens your endless fawning over these Scott's is imminent. Frightened Rabbit have released the first great record of 2010.

Buy The Winter Of Mixed Drinks from Fat Cat Records