That Was The Show That Was: Frightened Rabbit w/ Oxford Collapse

We aren't naïve enough to believe that last night's magical performance by Frightened Rabbit was more than a single point along an ascending arc. Far from a frog-kissing story, the band has put in the hours and the miles: the Selkirk, Scotland-situated quartet has performed in Boston four times in the last nine months; shifted a respectable number of units of its sophomore set (The Midnight Organ Fight is expected to soon scan into five figures); secured a top 30 showing on college radio charts and a few plays on television to boot; sold out recently the Black Cat Backstage on a Monday night.

All that said, we couldn't help wondering where the hell all the people who thronged the act's headlining set last night at TT The Bear's came from. They sang along. They made surprisingly thoughtful song requests. They loved the band as much as we love the band, a rare occurrence. Somewhere along their recent circuit around North America Frightened Rabbit have become giants. And the more we ponder on it, the more we see signs that the act is on the cusp of breaking in a very big way. It was a bittersweet realization that last night was likely the last time we'll ever see Frightened Rabbit play a club of the size of TT's.

Prior to showtime we had an email from a publicist for the band who noted Frightened Rabbit has gotten better every time he's seen them. And being as jaded, surly and generally contrary as we are, we dismissed the comment as marketing bullrorfle. But after being blown away last night, we have to admit it is true. Where the Hutchison brothers, Billy Kennedy and Andy Monaghan previously scored big points with remarkably impassioned performances, last night there was a lot more going on. Even more exciting than finally seeing the jittery key-pounder "The Twist" and the electrifying "Go Go Girls" performed live (the latter cut was performed with supporting act Oxford Collapse's drummer Dan Fetherston pulled onstage with a floor tom) was an enhanced and palpable musical chemistry among the four players. It manifests itself as ease and confidence, and it precipitated the most nuanced performance from Frightened Rabbit of the three we've seen.

There were new and newly enhanced arrangements on display as well; what has been done with the heart-stopper "My Backwards Walk" is particularly gripping. And perhaps most impressive of all, with the addition of Mr. Monaghan, the live arrangements now come close to re-creating even the more intricate compositions on The Midnight Organ Fight. Of course some things remained familiar. The band closed the show with its incendiary medley of "The Greys" and "Square 9." And drummer Grant Hutchison still threatened to dismember his drum kit at times (particularly during the spectacular rave-up that closes the latter tune), although his playing seems to have become more shaded as far as dynamics are concerned.

It is easier to tell you what the band did not play, rather than what they did. To our recollection there was no performance of "Set You Free," "It's Christmas So Let's Stop," "Keep Yourself Warm," "Floating In The Forth," "Snake" or any of what we refer to as the interstitial compositions (although for a moment we really thought they were going to do "Extrasupervery."). What was played was largely transcendent. "Music Now" really thumped, as did "Old Old Fashioned." After Scott performed "Poke" as a solo encore, the plug was pulled on the show -- even as the other three chaps were taking the stage for who knows what sort of finale. We were hoping for a rendition of the aforementioned b-side "Set You Free," but we suppose we'll never know. We're keeping our fingers crossed for one more tour from the band before the year is out; we're greedy like that.

It is worth noting that Sub Pop signees Oxford Collapse performed an excellent set that is worthy of its own review, especially considering the great cameo Scott Hutchison made for a track whose name we don't know (we plan to scour the Half.com for the OC back catalog after we get this posted). However, time being short, we'll simply weigh in with our approval and pass along that the Brooklyn trio expects to be back in Boston in August supporting its very good set BITS, which will be issued Aug. 5 and already gets a thumbs up from us. We're hoping to cover that show, at which point we can discuss the many finer points of Oxford Collapse. We're posting the BITS preview track "The Birthday Wars," which got a hot workout last night, below. Anyway, our particularly mediocre pictures from the show -- including some of Oxford Collapse's set -- are online right here. Here's your recommended daily allowance of MP3 files:

Frightened Rabbit -- "The Modern Leper" -- The Midnight Organ Fight
[right click and save as]
[buy The Midnight Organ Fight from Fat Cat right here]

Oxford Collapse -- "The Birthday Wars" -- BITS
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[pre-order BITS from Sub Pop right here]

Frightened Rabbit: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Selected Prior Frightened Rabbit coverage:

FR Live at the Middle East, March 2008
Review: Frightened Rabbit | The Midnight Organ Fight
FR Live at Great Scott, November 2007

Today's Hotness: The Seascape, Frightened Rabbit, Feist

>> We've got ExitFare to thank for bringing upstart indie pop trio The Seascape to our attention in April. The young Darien, Connecticut-based act has posted a new track, "Things To Do," to its MySpace hutch. It's a deliciously scritchy number that echoes notable English post-punk. "Things To Do" teases with cascading arpeggiation and then dives into a punchy series of verses and choruses held aloft on a familiar Mancunian bass bounce. The tune bridles the enticing sprawl of earlier tracks The Seascape sent us, but is no less punchy. And the singer -- we're not sure which of the three band principles is the fronter -- sounds increasingly sure without approaching cocksure. The Seascape's development is particularly exciting, as the gents -- as far as know -- are all still in their teens, are already making notable music, and have potentially many years ahead before they have to hitch up to a corporate feedbag and throw money down the ol' mortgage chute. We look forward to hearing more, but for now catch the stream of "Things To Do" at the link below.

The Seascape -- "Things To Do (stream)" -- MySpace

>> Selkirk, Scotland's Frightened Rabbit continue to circumnavigate North America in support of its recent release The Midnight Organ Fight [review], and there is no shortage of bloggilation occurring in its wake. The quartet will perform during an acoustic set Sunday The Midnight Organ Fight in its entirety; the performance will occur at Long Beach, Calif.'s Fingerprints record store at 2PM. Fans who'd like to make the scene must RSVP by telephone. Talk about old, old fashioned. Fronter Scott Hutchison recently gave an interview to the blog I Am Fuel, You Are Friends that you can read right here. Therein Mr. Hutchison describes his writing process, what it's like performing wrenching material now written about experiences that grow ever more remote and his coloring-book strategy. Frightened Rabbit recorded a session for KEXP in Los Angeles on the 18th which will likely be available for streaming from the archives in a matter of days. The band plays Cambridge, Mass.'s T. T. The Bear's July 1 with new SubPop signees Oxford Collapse. We'll say it again: that's a hot line-up. We reviewed previous FR shows here and here. If you haven't done so yet, how about a taste of the FR?

Frightened Rabbit -- "Head Rolls Off" -- The Midnight Organ Fight
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[buy The Midnight Organ Fight from Newbury Comics right here]

>> >> Posted here is a good Billboard profile of Arts + Crafts Records that examines what Feist's commercial success is enabling the label to do. We suppose someday we should buy a Feist record, if only because our man BW is a fan and we've enjoyed her appearances on late night television. Feist will be in Boston July 8 with the excellent Juana Molina, playing the open air mega-tent venue named after a bank overlooking the harbor. You know the one. Anyway, that also seems like an excellent bill.

Today's Hotness: Frightened Rabbit, Kompakt, The Breeders

>> Last.FM here has an exclusive on the new Frightened Rabbit video for the wonderful and romantic b-side "Set You Free." But we're embedding it above because, well, you're already here, aren't you? The song was the flip to the Selkirk, Scotland-based quartet's "Head Rolls Off," which was issued March 3. "Set You Free" is apparently a cover by a '90s club music act N-Trance, which we did not know until reading FR's MySpace bulletin. Further, the video for "Set You Free" apparently is a bit of an homage to the original video. We haven't seen the original video, but we find it hard to believe that it is any better than what is above. Frightened Rabbit's latest single, "Fast Blood" b/w "Soon Go," was issued in North America today, or so the Fat Cat label would have us believe. The band makes its return to Cambridge, Mass. July 1, when it will play at TT The Bear's Place with The Oxford Collapse. We'll be there, and we may have a ticket or two to give away when all is said and done. We'll let you know, OK?

>> Today is a day for rejoicing, for today the first wave of titles from the catalog of superlative Cologne, Germany-based electronic music label Kompakt and its many affiliates has become available at Emusic. Click this link for EMusic's editorial introduction. Read on for our take on what you should be listening to among the first 17 titles EMusic has licensed. First and foremost is the Pop Ambient series. We're pleased as punch to see that the 2008 edition (the compilation is issued annually and is a reliable source for totally blissed-out electronic Candyland dreams) is available [link] and we used our final 12 downloads of this month's subscription allotment to snag the set, which includes contributions from the usual suspects including Markus Guentner, Thomas Fehlmann and The Field's Axel Willner [remember him?]. Buying the Pop Ambient compilations -- and really any of Kompakt's wares -- is a pricey proposition, what with the exchange rate and the air mail shipping and whatnot. Which is why EMusic's offering is so awesome. Kaito's trancey gems Special Love [link] and A Hundred Million Light Years (link -- the last Kompakt CD we bought, incidentally) also warrant strong consideration. EMusic has said it will continue to add more Kompakt titles in the future, but just in case Kompakt pulls a Rolling Stones you'd best get over there and start downloading you summer beach chill-out jamasauruses. Incidentally, we reviewed Special Love for Junkmedia here a million years ago. And here is a superlative track from our copy of Pop Ambient 2005, Mr. Guentner's skittering dreamer "Innenfeld."

Markus Guentner -- "Innenfeld" -- Pop Ambient 2005
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[buy Kompakt MP3s from EMusic here]

>> Bradley's Almanac's newly posted recordings of last weeks Breeders show at The Paradise Rock Club have excellent sound quality and the performances qualify as rollicking. And of course the banter is hilarious. Do yourself a favor and make time to listen to the set, which spans the Deal sisters' careers and makes for a bracing listen. Download the MP3s at The 'Nac here or stream the whole joint at Hype Machine right here. Serious American good rock here: "Iris," "Huffer," and all your favorites. Zesty!