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. This time around, with Spoon mastermind Britt Daniel behind the knobs, the Rabbits have seemed to find both balance and maturity, but with those two things inevitably come trade-offs. Namely, the spontaneity and rawness that distinguished the band from the droves of Brooklyn indie bores.
It’s Frightening still makes use of the band’s man power, albeit, not so blatantly. It seems that Daniel’s production finesse has given the Rabbit’s new effort a thin layer of sonic gloss that has morphed the group’s energy into a more scaled-back and recognizable sound. This is most apparent on Spoon-esque “They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong” and “The Salesman.” And while playing catchy, well-crafted songs isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is sometimes less than exciting.