Frightened Rabbit

Sometimes, it’s the shyest among us that have the most to say.

This was true in the case of Scott Hutchison, a guitarist and singer from Selkirk, Scotland. (Fun fact: William Wallace was named Scotland’s defender here!) Growing up, Hutchison was so fearful of human interaction his own mum dubbed him a “frightened rabbit.” His own mum.

Think they give many “participation trophies” in Scotch country? Not so much. Fortunately, the wee kit grew up to become a (albeit visually) well-adjusted adult who sings, plays, and interacts with the audience quite naturally.

The nickname, however, stuck around, as Hutchison used it as a stage moniker for his solo performances starting in 2003. He was later joined by his brother Grant (drums) and another guitarist by the name of Billy Kennedy. Today Frightened Rabbit tops out with five members.

Hutchisons and co. put out their first record, Sing the Greys, in 2006, and followed it up with The Midnight Organ Fight in 2008, The Winter of Mixed Drinks in 2010, A Frightened Rabbit EP in 2011, State Hospital (an EP) in 2012 and, most recently, Pedestrian Verse in February this year. Not quite as prolific as their furry namesake, but still pretty impressive.

Aside from having some really fantastic album titles, Rabbit’s music is heartfelt and catchy folk-pop, though not entirely remarkable. Some of the potential vigor might be absent from this particular performance, as Scott announces early on it was meant to be an “off day”, with a dream performance scheduled the following day at San Francisco’s historic Fillmore venue.

But at heart these guys aren’t head-banging material. Nor do they need to be. There’s enough aural variety -- mixed guitar riffs, lively keyboards, cosy harmonies, sentimental and Scottish accent-delivered lyrics -- to keep your ears entertained. After half a dozen albums, they’re comfortable in their own pelt.

The songs have a range of depth, and are at their most powerful when more driving, layered, and repetitive -- similar to the work of their countrymen The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks. Comparatively, they may demonstrate a slightly wider sound palette, floating about among the realms of light, dark, heavy, and airy. Does that make them better?

Not necessarily.

But we all have biases. Grab yourself some mates, a couple pints, throw on all three, and decide for yourselves. Just make sure you get an opinion from the shy one.

NOTE: These guys hit Lolla on Friday, August 2.

We Were Promised Jetpacks: "It's Thunder and It's Lightning"

Juke Box Hero with us today with another new band for the list, the Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks.

This Edinburgh-formed indie rock foursome lists The Twilight Sad among their influences, so it’s no surprise I found myself digging them out of the ol’ iTunes playlist after writing about The Sad a few weeks ago. The Jetpacks share a few things sonically with their role modes – including fantastic and clearly audible, if not comprehensible, brogues – but separate themselves with an energy that’s not necessarily greater, but certainly more frenetic than their shoegazing countrymen, the Sad.

The Jetpacks are another example of kids living the dream: They started making a name for the band after winning a local battle of the bands; Fat Cat Records took notice after friends and future label mates Frightened Rabbit talked up the songs streaming on their MySpace page. A few years and two full-length records later, the boys are pretty much on their way, touring internationally and playing to packed houses (though somehow I’ve missed them twice in the last year at two different venues within an hour of me). Sure makes it sound pretty easy to make it as a musician, eh?

Though I used the word "frenetic" earlier to describe their energy, the Jetpacks are a bit more well- rounded than that one adjective. There’s a lot of dynamic fluctuation in their tracks, but they keep the energy constant with driving tempos throughout. In quieter sections that are either cooling off or building up to louder, heavier passages, there’s still an emotional thread that’s maintained rhythmically, giving the impression that things might just explode at any instant.

When they do explode, as you can see and hear in this video, it’s not always the prettiest. Hell, it’s a bit harsh at times. These guys were obviously juked up for this live-radio performance; they rush sporadically, have tuning issues – everything just sounds a bit on edge, a bit too tight. But it’s an honest, endearing performance. You can tell they care a lot about their music, about putting on a good show. I'm not saying those qualities alone make a band good, but they can go a long way in helping develop even a modest talent and skill into something truly great. Keep an eye on these guys.