Well, were I a director doing a black-and-white postmodern film noir set in smoky bars for ex-punks who have mellowed out and adopted the indie life while working for the mob to pay the bills, the White Rabbits‘ Fort Nightly just might be on my soundtrack. (Hmmm…. movie producers feel free to contact me…)
The sound is hard to pin down because each element has been put through a sonic blender so that guitars can at times recall reggae and rock while the piano touches on old saloon music and a Cuban lounge at the same time, and melodies can range from hooks a punk band would kill for (check out the chorus on “The Plot”) to bar sing-alongs like the coda to “Kid On My Shoulders.”
It took me a few listens to appreciate, but this album manages to be both moody and fun, smoky and sunny, multilayered and even a little bootyshakeable (Webster, make sure you add that word to the next dictionary you put out). Plus, the album title reminds me of the part in So I Married an Axe Murdered where Charlie’s Scottish dad says he hates Colonel Sanders because “he puts a secret ingredient in it so you crave it fortnightly, smartass!” Check it out-
Oh, and check out reviews of some songs off the album by Mrs. Doyle’s 8th grade class here. Future Rolling Stone reviewers in the making!
From Fort Nightly
White Rabbits – Kid On My Shoulders
White Rabbits – The Plot
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I was definitely surprised with this when I heard it on the Graboid. Mostly because i’d never seen anyone else talk about them prior to. Good stuff though.