White Rabbits "Fort Nightly" (Say Hey)
By Kimberly Rosenbauer
Wednesday. May 30, 10:33 AM
Packs enough punch to replace your morning caffeine fix.

Currently, the only “press” new band White Rabbits have on their website are 15 one-liners of two tracks from their first album, Fort Nightly, written by “Mrs. Doyle’s 8th grade class.” But don’t let this turn you off. In fact, I encourage readers to be inspired by the fact that this could be one of those rare “I discovered them first! Before they got big!” kind of bands. Of course you would have to ignore the fact that they’ve already toured with Peter Bjorn And John, The Walkmen, and Richard Swift, but still.

The group’s debut starts with such a bang: not commonplace among many novice bands to have you so hooked from the start. Beginning with an almost hypnotizing swing bass line (on keys), “Kid on My Shoulders” lays the fireworks right there on the table for you from the start. The vocal melodies frequently go sharp, and then in the chorus multiple voices travel up and down a chromatic scale. It is both upbeat and haunting at the same time.

Many of the other songs on the album continue to carry this strong sense of energy through different instruments. On “The Plot” it’s the drums; on “Navy Wives,” the keys. And on “March of the Camels” it’s the echoing “ooo”s and “ahh”s of choral voices.

Overall, Fort Nightly would be great for dancing due to its driving rhythms and steady bass drum beats. Not surprisingly, the track “While We Go Dancing” is a standout with lots of energy and some ‘80s pop character. However, just like many songs from that unforgettable era, the lyrics in it are very basic and leave little to be desired. Other songs have the same problem, though in the context of their end-result being to invigorate and liven up a room with beats and melodies, this deficit can easily be overlooked.

White Rabbits seem like they would be an amazing band to see live, as I can imagine them jumping up and down the entire length of their show. Whether that is true or not, Fort Nightly packs enough punch to replace your morning caffeine fix.
www.whiterabbitsmusic.com
www.sayheyrecords.com

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Kimberly Rosenbauer

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