Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

first listen preview for The Skinny <---

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PS. I know, I know, it's a bit vague. The deal is: I'm not reviewing it. The Skinny review will follow, probably in a month or so, written by someone else. So I couldn't be too prescriptive about what's good and what's not in The Skinny's name, in case the reviewer disagrees.

Here, I can say I think it's very good. I'm not sure yet whether it's better than Midnight Organ Fight, but there isn't much in it, and it's sure to give their profile a big boost. I think the fans will be really happy.

Stylistically, the key concern for me about this third album was the possibility that FRabbit might accentuate the sentimentality (a.k.a. "they sound a bit like Snow Patrol in parts") in a bid for popularity. That might make sense to Scott Hutchison, even subconsciously, seeing as his unsentimental debut was nowhere near as popular as the follow-up (and remember, that's when Snow Patrol themselves became mega, when they went all widescreen weepy). I really like Midnight Organ Fight, I didn't find the sentimentality too much at all, but I know some people did. Winter of Mixed Drinks is definitely not schmaltzy, so it may well win over some listeners who weren't convinced by Midnight Organ Fight.