White Rabbits
It's Frightening
Release Date: May 19, 2009
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: TBD
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Album Review: It's Frightening by White Rabbits
Very Good, Based on 9 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
White Rabbits not only avoid the sophomore slump, they build on the success of their debut, Fort Nightly. With Spoon's Britt Daniel at the helm, White Rabbits tighten the reins on their percussive sound over the course of ten lean and muscular tracks..
Based on rating 7.5/10
When it came time for Brooklyn’s White Rabbits to record a follow-up to their criminally overlooked cinematic debut album, Fort Nightly, they pulled of an incredible caper by hiring Spoon main man Britt Daniel to produce. It’s Frightening is Daniel's first non-Spoon related production credit. It couldn’t have been easy to convince him to pull his head out of his own box of tapes to produce It’s Frightening, but apparently he felt like he could shepherd White Rabbits toward indie-rock glory.
Based on rating 7.4/10
In 2007, six guys who wore stylish suits, stood in the backs of stylish bars, and still said "dance card" came out of Columbia to a fair bit of critical notice. Don't worry, you didn't sleep through anything: White Rabbits were Brooklyn-via Columbia, Missouri, not University, and their pop was big and brassy instead of mellow and breezy. They might have been more Walkmen than Whit Stillman, but White Rabbits knew how to be formal, nonetheless.
Based on rating 7.3/10
Indie rockers scale back on new album produced by Spoon's Britt Daniel On their 2007 debut, Fort Nightly, the six Brooklynites of White Rabbits burst onto the scene forcing their cacophonous, beat-driven rock down our throats. Granted, it was a welcome barrage. With the onslaught of plunking pianos, doubled-up drums and messy vocals, it went down much like a dose of one's favorite cough syrup—a little harsh, but actually quite delicious.
Based on rating 7/10
The Brooklyn-based six-piece White Rabbits spent the better part of their debut album (2007’s Fort Nightly) exploring their melodic charms, with a formidable rhythm section and a penchant for some seriously haunting harmonies under the guise of pop-rock simplicities. The album was warmly received, and gained them a certain notoriety which landed them on the increasingly impressive musical radar of whomever the hell it is that keeps booking awesome bands on Letterman. That alone may not have been enough for the young Missouri natives, however.
Based on rating 6/10
You’ll forgive me if I string out a series of elaborated comparisons between White Rabbits and Spoon. Spoon frontman Britt Daniel did, after all, produce It’s Frightening, White Rabbits’ second full-length, and his fingerprints are all over it. It’s perhaps not as innovative as a Spoon album, but the minimalist rock tendency has carried over between bands.
Based on rating 6/10
To many, competence is considered to be a positive attribute. In a lot of walks of life, whether of the everyday variety or in the public eye, the ability to set about your task in a steady and consistent manner is often commended. Even in this minefield we loosely call alternative music, it will always be those wilfully adequate careerist plodders who garner the filthy lucre.
Opinion: Excellent
When White Rabbits showed up to play back in 2007 with Fort Nightly, their stock was a rising one. Their spunky, lively debut was a nice retreat and although it aped The Specials’ debut in many ways, that interlocking piano and brash vocals were a welcome addition to anyone’s year-end list. The next gradual step was to improve and grow from that sparkling debut, and enlisting the help of Spoon frontman Britt Daniel to produce, It’s Frightening is a good start.
Opinion: Excellent
Iggy Pop Iggy Pop as a chanteur, crooning and contemplating life with autumnal bitterness and resignation? That’s his unexpected guise on “Préliminaires” (Astralwerks); he even sings “Les Feuilles Mortes” (“Autumn Leaves”) in mediocre French. The album was sparked by Michel ….
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