- Not as convenient as a pocket calendar
Slow and steady might not be the expected career trajectory for a band called Frightened Rabbit, but that’s exactly the course charted by this Glasgow foursome. Formed in 2004 by brothers Scott and Grant Hutchison, the band self-released its debut album, Sing the Greys, in 2006. After a much-buzzed South by Southwest showcase in 2007, stateside bloggers picked up on them. They kept up the momentum with Midnight Organ Fight in 2008, streamlining their resolutely Scottish approach (think of them as a poppier version of fellow Scots Arab Strap but with the Shins’ melodic sense). Frightened Rabbit’s superb stage show was documented on the 2009 live record Quietly Now!, a pretty ballsy move for a band with only two albums. Their latest, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, is an ambitious work, stretching the group’s sound with echoes of U2’s big-rock rattle and hum. The rousing “Swim Until You Can’t See Land” and “Living in Colour” prove that slow and steady has most certainly won the race for Frightened Rabbit. They play the Grog Shop, with Maps and Atlases and Our Brother the Native opening at 9 p.m. Tickets: $13 advance, $15 day of show. —Chris Drabick
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2010.