I've been on a concerting bender for the last few days—Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes on Tuesday (the best show I've ever experienced at The Independent), El Ten Eleven and Chairlift on Thursday, and the very excellent Scottish band, Frightened Rabbit, tonight. Initially, I planned on penning a lizish, fist to the sky! argument on why my SF-based readers should alter their plans and come to the concert, but it's already sold out. Woe!
(Hm, craigslist stalking, maybe? Good luck, dear readers!)
I think it's going to be a grand performance. I discovered Frightened Rabbit in 2008, and their sophomore release, The Midnight Organ Fight, was included in my top 10 round-up for the year. The Midnight Organ Fight is a fantastic collection of rollicking, energetic tunes imbued with polish and warmth. Most of the lyrics are sad as hell though—it's a heart-in-a-shot-glass sort of album that might get you ruminative.
I had a few queries about The Midnight Organ Fight, the band's ongoing tour, and their upcoming release. Happily, Frightened Rabbit's frontman, Scott Hutchison, was kind enough to indulge me. Here's what he had to say:
Hello, Scott! Congratulations on the success of The Midnight Organ Fight. Besides being included on a bevy of best-of-2008 lists, I know the band has been selling out lots of shows and you haven't lost any momentum. Many of us discovered your sophomore release last year, then you dropped your live acoustic album in early 2009, and now you have a new record coming out next year. How are you guys feeling these days?
We've always said the steady build was how we wanted this to go, and we've had a pretty even momentum over the past year and a half. We're pretty happy with the way things have panned out for the band—music can be a strange, randomly and volatile industry, and the fact that we're afloat at all is quite surprising.
Are you being mindful of the press you're receiving?
I read some of it, but you're guaranteed to stumble over a shitty review, or someone who just really, really hates your band—which can be depressing for about a day or so. It’s hard to ignore, as much as I'd love to be blissfully unaware ...
Any moments touring for The Midnight Organ Fight that stand out as meaningful highlights or lowlights?
There
were so many special shows, and they seem to only get better. Even
now, well over a year after the record came out—people still want to
hear those songs live. Our show at Queens Hall in Edinburgh in August
of this year pretty much took the biscuit. I try to forget any low
points. One particular night spent standing on the side of a motorway,
waiting to be rescued by a tow truck after our van broke was not
amusing.
So it's 1:00 am after a Frightened Rabbit performance. What is each band member up to?
Depends how much we've been drinking ... It’s nice to stay at the venue and chat to folks afterward—go out to a recommended bar and get local, yo.
Confess: Who is updating your twitter page in the morning?
I have no idea who tweets at that time in the morning. I've only done around 5 in my whole life. One a month. Still seems a bit indulgent.
Indulgent but oddly addictive at times, I swear. Switching gears—thematically, The Midnight Organ Fight seems to grapple with a broken relationship—a dour heart-in-the-blender misery. Is there an intention for the new record to be different in any way? Has your heart healed?
Heart is fully healed, thank you! Life has been rather nice over the past wee while, and while I think the album reflects that in certain ways, I'm still drawn to a fairly dark method of expression. There is a sense of joy in the material, but I didn't want to write a record about being happy.
Several weeks ago, I saw a video of you performing a new song, “Swim Until You Can't See Land.” Is “Swim Until You Can't See Land” the first single from the new album?
It is indeed, due out later this year. It kind of serves as a good intro to the record, as the themes visited in the song keep floating back in throughout.
Admittedly, we are thrilled to hear the new tune. I read that Peter Katis was involved with The Midnight Organ Fight. He seems amazing, and I know he has produced The National's Boxer and a couple Interpol albums as well. Did you work with Peter again?
Peter mixed the record, and took a really involved approach to shaping the sound of the songs. It has his stamp on it, and the whole thing just sounds really rich and whole as a result. It’s exciting to hear your songs pull together as he works, and I think he was pleased to be working on it.
Were there instances while recording your new album where unwittingly discovered something or surprised yourselves?
I was playing around with synths a lot when writing and demoing, so some of the stuff that came from that was surprising to us, and hopefully will be to the listener too. We tried to push the boat out a bit with the production, so to speak. There are more complex arrangements going on than last time, and we even added string sections to a couple of tracks.
Well, we are looking forward to hearing it. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my queries, and we'll be raising our glasses to you at The Independent. San Francisco welcomes you back with open arms!
Can't wait! See you soon.
Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit 
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