White Rabbits - Fort Nightly Review

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Tracklist:
1. Kid On My Shoulders
2. The plot
3. Dinner Party
4. Navy Wives
5. While We Go Dancing
6. I Used To Complain Now I Don't
7. Take a Walk Around the Table
8. March Of The Camels
10. Fort Nightly
11. Reprise
12. Tourist Trap

Release Date: 2007

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3.3
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On 2 Lists

3.0
good

Kirgasm USER (27 Reviews)

2007-11-10 | 11 comments | 699 views

Summary: With too many awkward musical tangents, White Rabbits prove that talent plus potential does not always equal a successful execution. However, there is hope for future releases.

2 of 2 thought this review was well written

Dance-rock is quickly becoming a fad in the indie scene. While I am unaware of who exactly pioneered the dance-rock movement, I am experiencing what has followed in full force. Various indie websites are catching on to the fad and squeezing it for all it's worth, I'm hearing more and more of it at my local indie station, and even the few friends I have that share a music taste relatively close to mine are name dropping these bands like there's no tomorrow. With a quickly expanding scene, it's bound to be difficult to find bands that push the barrier and strive to make something that stands out amongst the ruckus. White Rabbits aren't quite there yet. However, their full length debut Fort Nightly shows very promising signs.

Already highly regarded for their energetic live shows, White Rabbits have been moving up within the New York indie scene. Naturally adapting a consistent upbeat tempo (it's called dance-rock, after all), the sextet craft catchy, often piano or drum driven melodies, capped off by strong vocal performances. Unfortunately, as the record progresses, it becomes difficult to differentiate the songs all too well as they begin to melt into an extended dance-inducing mess. It's not necessarily that every song sounds the same. It has more to do with the fact that the album as a whole progresses sloppily into itself. The songs are all tangents of each other, going on a different path, but always of the same origins. The band attempts slight variations of the formula, such as in songs like "I Used to Complain Now I Don't" and "Navy Wife" which have more happy, tropical melodies. "March of the Camels", "Fort Nightly" and "Tourist Trap" also make slight changes to the formula, however, those don't turn out so well.

Songs like "Kids on my Shoulders", "The Plot" and "While We Go Dancing" all take advantage of the catchy straight forward formula and it's in these three songs that the band shine, becoming all three of the album highlights. The songs make good use of the bands ability to write playful piano melodies, memorable choruses and turning an incredibly simple beat into a wonderful sing-a-long tune ("Reprise" even showcases that, recording a hearty group sing-a-long to the chorus of "Kids on my Shoulders"). In the bands attempts to stray from the path that these songs set, the results aren't too great. "March of the Camels" slows it down slightly, features a chorus of children, and overplays the creepy vibe by a long shot, making the song a task to listen to, rather then a pleasure. "Fort Nightly" features a somewhat carnival vibe to it, like something you'd hear as you walked through a freak show, with the constant 'ooohs' in the background and the constant marching drums.

While they aren't too different from various other bands in the dance-rock scene, they are far from normal. At times, they try venturing too far away from the sound that they appear most solid in, ending up awkward and making the band seem confused about their sound. The moments of solidarity can be found in the straight forward dance-worthy melodies where they craft an energy that makes the songs both enjoyable and memorable. Eliminate the unnecessary excess (March of the Camels, Fort Nightly) and stick with slight deviations of the dance-happy music (Kids on My Shoulders, While We Go Dancing, The Plot) and White Rabbits have a strong chance of creating a fantastic indie record.

Sadly, they didn't do it this time.

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