The Midnight Organ Fight
by Frightened Rabbit
  • Record Label: Fat Cat
  • Release Date: Apr 29, 2008
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Lost At Sea
    95
    Whether or not you choose to accept it, the FACT is that Scotland's own Hutchinson brothers have created a sweet and powerful collection of tunes with The Midnight Organ Fight.
  2. The A.V. Club
    91
    It's Hutchison's utterly believable desperation and frank lyrics that push the whole thing from good to great.
  3. Drowned In Sound
    90
    Here there can be no snobbish derision and calls of 'selling out' or playing to the average man; in creating an album showcasing the very best of the band’s talents they have created one so perfectly fit for, as Scott so vividly puts, “the soft, soft static” of popular radio.
  5. Pitchfork
    81
    Their jangly melodies claw their way inside your brain just the same, making them latest in a long line of Glasgow bands to effortlessly combine celebratory sonics and miserablist lyrics into something singular.
  6. Tiny Mix Tapes
    80
    This is the least fashionable album I have heard in ages, and all the better for it.
  7. Mojo
    80
    What might sound like a depressing work of angsty indulgence is in fact an uplifting record of angular alt-folk. [June 2008, p.108]
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  8. Q Magazine
    80
    Midnight Organ Fight more than delivers on its promise: tons of spiky energy, proper tunes and a real lyrical bite to the likes of The Modern Leper. [June 2008, p.149]
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  9. Paste Magazine
    80
    The album is singularly focused yet emotionally visceral, refining and sharpening the band’s rousing sprawl.
  10. Magnet
    80
    The Midnight Organ Fight's bloodied-but-unbowed lyrics stand up to repeated listening even on the fastest cutes. [Summer 2008, p.106]
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  11. Dusted Magazine
    70
    The Midnight Organ Fight is sharper, more polished, and better in parts than "Sing the Greys." There’s only one unfortunate downside. This sharper, more polished effort displays fewer of the things that made the first album so enjoyable.
  12. PopMatters
    70
    The Midnight Organ Fight is cleaner, more polished, and establishes that the group is indeed maturing, but thankfully not losing themselves.
  13. Slant Magazine
    70
    Hutchison and his bandmates reward patience as well as repeated listens, and they deserve credit for unearthing a unique chunk of the Scottish heart, raised on equal parts American punk and traditional folk and bleeding beautifully.
  14. Spin
    70
    Amid such scene-upending sentiments, the band's all-too-Glaswegian moniker represents a clever case of bait and switch. [May 2008, p.98]
  15. Under The Radar
    70
    There's a lot of beauty in The Midnight Organ Fight, but there’s a bit of bloat as well. [Summer 2008]
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  16. Hot Press
    60
    Overwrought second album from Glaswegian indie quartet.
  17. Uncut
    60
    The world-view is challenging and heart-felt, the playing deft, the conviction clear. [June 2008, p.88]
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Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Best Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 59 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 59
  3. Negative: 5 out of 59
  1. TallSaint
    Feb 16, 2013
    10
    Five years on, and isn't this contender for one of the greatest breakup albums of all time?
    Every single song is beautiful here. And the    Five years on, and isn't this contender for one of the greatest breakup albums of all time?
    Every single song is beautiful here. And the lyrics, ranging from the most humbling and uplifting outlooks on existence itself (Head Rolls Off) to gorgeous, bitter sweet poetry (Poke, My Backwards Walk) need to be discovered and appreciated and loved. This an album that just keeps giving and giving and giving. If nothing else (and at the essence of it all) this is an album decorated with strong melodies. Infectious melodic pop gems, epic musical anthems and melancholic rock, this has got to go down in history as one of the finest records ever made.    … Full Review »
  2. heimonrademan
    Jul 3, 2013
    10
    One of the best albums ever made. Period. FR ability to share a story and a feeling without appearing pretentious is a rare thing only aOne of the best albums ever made. Period. FR ability to share a story and a feeling without appearing pretentious is a rare thing only a handful of artists posses. No description can accurately capture what this album is.… Full Review »
  3. GarboTaste
    Jul 13, 2018
    9
    Might be the most emotional album from Frightened Rabbit and it's **** beautiful.
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