January Band of the Month: The Fratellis
First things first, first song first. The Fratellis’ new album, In Your Own Sweet Time, opens with Stand Up Tragedy. It’s a typically robust, typically earworm Jon Fratelli composition. It’s a thrilling mix of razor-sharp guitar riffs, air-punching piano stabs, falsetto vocals and Sympathy For The Devil “ooh ooh’s”. “That song might sum up this record in a lot of ways,” muses Jon, this band’s engine-room whose songwriting skills only seem to sharpen as each year passes. “Really the whole thing was quite playful. For instance: when I was writing that, I just came out with a falsetto voice. I’d never sung falsetto in my life. All of a sudden it comes out, and I was just ready to start singing that way. Even just using that type of voice, it can’t help but be fun. And it kind of set a tone.” Playful, punchy and purposefully relaxed, The Fratellis are back. Jon (vocals/guitar/piano), Barry (bass) and Mince Fratelli (drums) are roaring into their second decade with a fifth a...