White Rabbits

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More About

• Kurt Cobain
• Britt Daniel
• Spoon (Band)

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It’s not unfair to say White Rabbits’ 2007 debut, Fort Nightly, sounded a bit like their pals and fellow New York transplants the Walkmen. Blotting the Missouri-formed band’s slashing guitars and sloshing rhythms with reverb, there was even an equivalent to “The Rat” in the punchy “The Plot.” But last month’s follow-up, It’s Frightening, takes more cues from Spoon, and not just because Britt Daniel produced it. The crowded six-piece has slowed its bruising urgency with more focus on pounding keys, stop-start jerkiness, and overall deconstruction of moody indie rock. These aren’t faults, exactly. There are layers upon gauzy layers to tease the ears, and Stephen Patterson’s grinding voice still sums up rock-star cool with enough panache to recall Kurt Cobain more than once. Plus, the opening track and lead single “Percussion Gun” sets a seasick bed of drumming on which the rest of the song can assemble itself bit by bit. It’s a collar-yanking moment made all the more so by the subtler, spooky track that lies ahead. With the Subjects.
Mon., June 22, 8 p.m., 2009