I bond with people over Frightened Rabbit

yeah so this album's the real deal. I think "Sings the Greys" clocked in as my 22nd favorite album of 2006 (or so), but this "Midnight Organ Fight" is light years beyond that disc. It's easily my favorite of the year so far, and has really struck an emotional and musical chord with me unlike any album I've listened to since... Ys, I guess. A once-every-couple-years kind of musical achivement. I'm with Hewlett's Daughter on this one.

And it's really the lyrics that do it. I had a friend catch this in passing and say it sounded like "a mix of Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band" (I think he meant it as a complement, actually). I cringed, and then unfortunately started to pick up on some cringe-worthy Counting Crows-esque moments in the melodies and vocals, but wasn't really turned off by them. It's because of the lyrics. They're absolutely perfect. Enveloping. Full of images, characters, stories, feelings (so many feelings!) This album just breaks my heart every time I listen to it. But I can't stop.

i played this album for someone in my car this weekend...they said his voice sounded like daves...especially on arms...i had to kind of agree with him...

do your friends think Dave Mathews is from Scotland?

Might be my favorite of the year as well. Thanks guys.

Listened to this album sitting on my deck while finishing off a bottle of wine tonight.

So, so great. I swear, every listen I keep finding new things I love about it.
Tonight was all about "Poke." Probably skipped back to it 5 times to listen to the lyrics.

This is at this point my album of the year, hands down.

One day I will get a chance to do this

no but you cant tell me at certain points he doesnt sound like him...especially to people with not much music intelligence...also full disclosure there was also his GF in the car who did know quite a bit about music and had to agree as well...

just sayin

luckily, i don't hear Mathews at all... i will admit that hear Adam Duritz a bit here and there now that people have pointed that out, but only just minimally.

what makes these guys so great is that they really have their own sound within a pretty structured genre or rock music.

Yeah, the Duritz thing is kind of hard to ignore, but the thick accent sort of fixes that. It also helps with the lyrics - while there are some unabashedly great lines here, there's also some stuff that would be pretty cringeworthy (i.e. "He's painted all the walls red to remind them they're all dead") were it not delivered in that sort of disarming brogue.

That said, this is probably in my top 5 this year with not a whole lot on the horizon to knock it down. It has the same basic feel as the Twilight Sad record from last year - the accent, sure, but also the lyrical content and general mood - but whereas I found it a lot easier to admire that record than to actively enjoy it, this is genuinely moving and still a great, fun listen as well.

That must be some deck.

I definitely hear no Dave Matthews at all in this. That's just an offensive statement to me on multiple levels.

As for the Counting Crows comment, I'd never heard it until I was driving some friends to Hot Dougs one day and they were like 'hey, this sounds like Counting Crows.' I was flabergasted, but when I listened a little more, I could hear where they were coming from.

Fortunately, though, once you actually immerse yourself with the album, it reveals itself to be in a world of its own. I had a conversation in the car the other day about this album and how the lyrics really help distinguish Midnight Organ Fight from other indie rock outfits because they are so captivating and aren't trying to be anything artsy at all, yet they come off absolutely gorgeous. We then sang along to "Good Arms Versus Bad Arms" and followed that up by discussing which lyrics were the best in the song. It was a pretty fantastic afternoon drive down 55.

maybe if they had said dave you would have heard it the way i could hear where my friends were coming from...and beleive me no one hates dave more than me...

but i'm listening to it now and have that phrase bouncing around in my head and nope, not hearing it at all

counting crows, however, i can understand and hear begrudgingly

not dave matthews.. his voice is too gritty and rough sounding by comparison. it's also a little lower than Scott's from what i recall. so nope, i'm thankfully not hearing that comparison.

If interested, the vinyl version of Midnight Organ Fight is finally available through Fat Cat's website.

Only problem is that it's a UK import and will run you about $30 with shipping. Regardless, I ordered mine this morning and have no regrets.

Can you provide a link to the site where you bought it? I googled Fat Cat and ended up here:

http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=253

But they still say "Out Of Stock" and "We are sorry to announce that there is going to be a delay on 'The Midnight Organ Fight' Vinyl."

Is that where you got it?

Sorry bout that. Should have been more descriptive.

Anyway, yeah, that's the right link. But to get to it, you have to click the UK flag up in the right corner. That redirects you from the US store to the UK store. They've got it in stock there. Just be prepared to pay $30+ for it with shipping and all. It's so fucking worth it IMO. No complaints and stuff.

Thanks, got it now. I've been dying to get this.

I'm sitting in my room in the dark in my underwear right now just singing along to 'The Greys'

it's pretty much the greattest thing in the world right now


just thought i'd share with anyone who gave a fuck

WHATS THE BLUES
WHEN YOUVE GOT THE GREYS


z

seriously internet

this band

best album i've heard in years

i can't help but revisit it over and over and over again. it's verything that is right with music in one nice, neat concise package.

frightened rabbit, god bless you

"in a building... that has heating... sweat sweat sweat sweat dried on stain..."

that's what i'm talking about!

I listened to "My Backwards Walk" about 10 times in the car yesterday.

That's my favorite song!

Except for when my favorite songs is Modern Leper, Good Arms..., Keep Yourself Warm, The Twist, or Head Rolls Off

Fuck guys, this album! I mean, any one of those songs I could (and do) talk about alongside some of my very favorite songs... ever. Where the hell did this album come from? I mean I enjoyed Sings The Greys. It's good. Some very very good songs. But this fucking album is just leaps beyond.

My favorite line today (it always changes too):

Lift your dress enough to show me those shins. Let your hair stick to your forehead.

It's the combination of these kinds of simple and effective visual descriptions along with his uncanny ability to hit the exact right emotional chords (both lyrically and vocally) that really make this album come to life. It's something beyond music for me at this point.

Today my favorite line is....

I'm armed with the past and a will and a brick / I don't want you back but I want to kill him

Also, in case anyone dips into this thread that hasn't yet procured the album... here. TAKE IT. I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT.

People need to hear this album at all costs. As many as possible. It's so good.

hxxp://www.sendspace.com/file/myxw73

the world would be a lot better place if everyone listened to this album

Well done.

Thread needs more gushing.

this fucking line, dude. it kills. it's one of the first that struck me on the album way back when as just being an awesome and honest lyric and it's stuck ever since as one of the high points of the entire album. the sincerity in every single line of this thing is really something i tells ya what.


And yeah, anyone who hasn't heard this thing really needs to get on it. I've gushed and gushed and gushed over this thing and will continue to do so because it's that good. It seems any time I talk music to someone, I mention this album and try to pitch it to them as something they'd like. I made another convert last weekend during Pitchfork in my good chum Matt. He's now hooked in a big way.

oh yeah, and as of late the FR jam for HD has been 'The Twist'

the simplicity of that piano part. the complexity of the lyrics. everything. wonderful.



gushgushgushgush

Every time I click this thread I wonder why this record hasn't taken off.
This record does everything right... and it essentially is the mastery of the "indie sound" of the last two or three years.

Lets pretend I'm attractive and then
You won't mind, you can twist for a while
It's the night, I can be who you like
And I'll quietly leave before it gets light

Am I right?

I mean, every line of this album is so perfect, it's a shame to take any of them out of context. But gee-whiz.

This is one of the few albums I've ever encountered that demands my full attention whenever I listen to it. My girlfriend would be like "hey could you come help me with this?" And I'd be like "um, I'm kind of listening to Backwards Walk right now, can it wait!?"

Damn, I thought I was gushing in the Walkmen thread. You guys are all on the lyrics train. I should check this out. I've been listening to the XM 40s music channel for the past two hours.

You guys took long enough to 'discover' The Twist, as I have

exactly... where have you all been the last two years when we initially got obsessed with this band?

I just need to quote HD's post here.
Can't say it any better.
Think I've listened to this album every day the past 3 weeks, at least once.

Favorite lyric/song of late has totally this from Poke.

"And now we're unrelated
and rid of all the shit we hated,
But I hate when I feel like this
and I never hated you."

I'll tell you where I was. I was enjoying Sings the Greys, but not really as much as others. In retrospect, I should have obsessed. I should have. Instead I kept my safe distance and enjoyed it quietly at a safe distance.



An excellent lyric choice, indeed, PIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!!!!!!.

'Poke' really I think is the highpoint of the entire album. The whole thing crescendos to that glorious and simplistic masterpiece. I mean, I like 'Floating in the Forth' a lot, but it just has unfortunate placement on the album after 'Poke.'

Should we kick its cunt in and watch as it dies from bleeding?

Listening to this again today, still good stuff guys. Wish they'd play more gigs in England!

So give me that soft, soft static
With the open fire and shuffle of our feet
We can both get old fashioned
Do it like they did in '43

the only lyrical misstep to me on the album is "i decided this decision some six months ago"...but other than that this album is flawless...

i'm working hard on walking out
shoes keep sticking to the ground
my clothes won't let me close the door
these trousers seem to love your floor

for the record that may be my favorite part lyrically...

otm


also, another good lyrical selection by nagoatee



really, i think that any lyrics that will be posted in here will end up getting me responding identically...just saying how good they are

yeah, it seems they are having a bit more success here these days, huh? how would you describe their success in England?

i wonder if they will ever get to the point where they are playing bigger clubs here.


totally agree, when i heard the demo for Backwards Walk, i couldn't get over the lyrics... Scott has really grown as a songwriter between these two records.

now i'm realizng i'm a dork because i am typing this post in my underwear and my FR t-shirt.

Make your music.
Make it so loud, so trite.
Make your music.
Make your music that some cunt might like...

I WANT TO SEE THEM LIVE DAMMIT!

I hate Pittsburgh so much.

Simakos, regail me with tales of their live shows, please. I know you like had anal sex with all of them so tell us about that, too.

As for coming to the bandwagon late, I think Sings the Greys wound up around #20 on my year-end list in 2006. I really enjoyed it, listened to it quite a bit, but I don't really think it was/is in the same league as Midnight Organ Fight. Very few albums are, obviously. I was a little late to the part ony MOF, as I went through a long period this year where I wasn't really listening to any new music. As soon as I did, though, I went straight to this little gem and it's been all I can listen to since.

This thing was just a revelation. It's actually hindered my consumption of other new music as I never feel like listening to anything else. I'll be all like "yeah, huh, this Fleet Foxes record is real nice..." (two songs into it) "time to blast 'head rolls off!', bitches!"

Thank you for your tireless efforts hyping this band, though, Simakos. Without them, I may never have bothered to check this record out and my life would be significantly worse for it.

I'm going to stop complaining now because I just saw this

9 Sep 2008 20:00 South Street Reading

Yes! five minutes walk from my work. I saw Twilight Sad there too.

The two should ride on Glasvegas's coat tails when they play bigger venues of do a joint tour. The two of them have potential to build a fanbase unlike nearly any indie band in the country because they aren't doing things through the NME, Radio 1, playing lots of gigs in England. THey are doing smaller festivals and solidifying their core Scottish base. Good for them.

well, the big thing i noticed this year during those 3 shows here is that they have gotten so confident and solid as entertainers. way more rocking and noisy than the records. that Do Division Fest gig made me notice how easily they can win over people that have never seen them before. Scott is one funny fucker up on stage too. i wonder if we'll be hearing some demos from the next record soon. i will post anything and everything i get from them, of course.

i just got that Fast Blood 7 inch and really want the album on vinyl.

i've been trying to convince Scott to sell me some of his original drawings that he did for the singles. he told me that the album cover is going to his dad.

who we kidding? this is totally my favorite record of the year.

Scott mentioned that they are really trying to do a proper tour with Twilight Sad thru the states sometime soon.

I just got my 7" the other dya, too.

my vinyl copy of the album should hopefully be here in the next week or so. at least i hope. i want to bust that thing out and hug it as if it were my child



...after re-reading what i just wrote, i shoudl edit it, as i'm disgusted with myself, but i'm not gonna.....

just found this podcast kind of thing that the band did:

http://www.imeem.com/frightenedrabbit/playlist/tw8NDuuc

this is going to be a good evening.....

I cannot find this anywhere. Did you pick it up at a show?