The Midnight Organ Fight

Favourite songs: Old Old Fashioned, The Modern Leper, Keep Yourself Warm, Good Arms vs Bad Arms, Head Rolls Off, The Twist

Least favourite songs: Bright Pink Bookmark

5/5

More indy, but a good album.

late 2000s indie stuff, not my thing.

Hyvä indielevy synkistä aiheista.

I always feel a little guilty when I dislike an album, and then all the context on it is "oh it's really heartfelt & meaningful to the artist." Didn't care for it, though! This particular era of folky indie grates on me

At times, any or all of: beautiful, haunting (even if you don't know Scott's story), sweary, funny, very very Scottish, and absolutely wonderful. A great suggestion

Frightened Rabbit were already on my shortlist to include, so I was delighted to see this album on the users list this morning.

Personally, I prefer Pedestrian Verse given its more polished sound, but The Midnight Organ Fight undoubtedly hits harder and arguable their more important album. It’s a tough listen these days, but such an important one.

Given what happened to Scott, I honestly can’t think of a band with a more poignant and heartbreaking song than Floating in the Forth.

It hits even harder for me, having friends and family who’ve sadly gone down the same tragic path.

That’s why this gets the full 5 stars from me — not just for the music, but for what it represents. And if anyone reading this is going through something similar to what Scott faced, please: reach out to your friends, your family — anyone.

You are loved more than you can possibly imagine.

This hit me like a train.

I didn’t know the band, and given the 2008 indie/folk/rock label, I braced for mediocrity. Instead, I got one of the most honest, beautiful, devastating albums I’ve heard in a long time. From the first listen, it stood out. Raw and direct but musically rich, full of conviction. And then, each repeat listen pulled me deeper.

The heart of the album is Scott Hutchison's voice. Both literal and emotional. His lyrics are blunt, confessional, and occasionally profane, but never gratuitous. Lines like “It takes more than fucking someone you don’t know to keep warm” or “I think I’ll save suicide for another year” aren’t just provocative, they reach through the song and grab you by the throat.

The run of Keep Yourself Warm, Extrasupervery, and Poke is jaw-droppingly good.

This album will stay in my life for a long time. I’ve already introduced it to my wife, and she was just as floored as I was. It’s that kind of record: once you hear it, you want someone else to hear it too.

Everything wrong with 2008 in one album.