Frightened Rabbit

Selkirk's Frightened Rabbit started out as a solo concern, a vehicle for Scott Hutchison, who now fronts what grew into a splendid, bass-less four-piece. The agenda? Smart, tight, lyrically detailed indie rock that's way bolder than the moniker suggests: check out the mounting fury of "The Greys" — from 2006 debut Sings the Greys — which seems to mushroom into an enveloping cloud of sound as Hutchison offloads his narrative in thick, tightly packed clusters. Second album, 2008's The Midnight Organ Fight, has miserablist leanings for sure (nobody's going to recite the words of standout opener "The Modern Leper" or "Keep Yourself Warm" to cheer themselves up), but sonically it's a joy, full of strange and interesting textures, centred on Hutchison's intense yet fragile vocal. Sometime tour companions Death Cab for Cutie are big fans and, on the strength of these Essentials, it's not hard to work out why.