White Rabbits have been a band searching for a sound since it’s inception. Their first album suffered from ” we need to pick an influence and stick with it” syndrome, while their last album, It’s Frightening, sounded like Spoon (Forever showing the world that Britt Daniel can make bands sound like Spoon? Seriously, WTF!). But this time around, with Milk Famous, the band are much more focused with a unique sound and an arrangement type of songwriting that make for a distinct listening experience.

The band enlisted producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon; sounds strange doesn’t it?) to put them on course. If anything, McCarthy flushed out influences that were similar, and put them together in a nice tight package. On “I’m Not Me” the listener can definitely hear a Ben Folds piano sound on that track, while “Everyone Can’t Be Confused” boasts a vocal delivery similar to The Beatles’ “Getting Better.”

Many of these tracks are produced and written with an arrangement type of mind set. The album’s opener, “Heavy Metal” begins with an amazing array of backwards piano; the rest of the resonance used fall into just the right place, making it one of the LP’s strongest tracks. If their is a weak track on the album it’s “Danny Come Inside.” It’s a song, very much in the vein of the band’s first LP Fortnightly. It’s repetitive with it’s beat and throws out a series of sounds in a random fashion.

Despite the album’s one real misstep, it’s a new focus and better direction; one that finds White Rabbits a better band for it, and one that will continue to explore it’s influences, however, this time with better results.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening Co-efficient: Background Music

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