Critical response The Midnight Organ Fight was met with widespread critical acclaim upon its release. Sampling sixteen reviews, the
review aggregator website
Metacritic awarded the album a
weighted average of 80%.
Drowned in Sound writer Jordan Dowling, rated the album at nine out of ten and praised the simplicity found in the song structures, while stating the band had "shaven off the instrumental passages that snaked through their first release and created 14 blissfully simple pop songs". Writing for
Lost at Sea magazine, Jon Burke awarded a score of 9.5/10 and noted, "there is honesty in these songs that cannot be found on most of the pretentious pap getting heralded as 'the next big thing.' Whether or not you choose to accept it, the FACT is that Scotland's own Hutchinson brothers have created a sweet and powerful collection of tunes with
The Midnight Organ Fight".
Mojo magazine gave the album four stars out of five and opined, "What might sound like a depressing work of angsty indulgence is in fact an uplifting record of angular alt-folk", Scottish magazine,
The Skinny described the album as one "that invokes a range of emotions but generally leaves you exhilarated; enough, in Frightened Rabbit's unique idiom, to make the fast blood hurricane through you". Adam Knott of Sputnikmusic scored the album at 4.5/5 and summarised that the band, "succeed in mixing indie rock and traces of folk into 48 minutes of driven and emotional melodies that lift you up, beat you down and eventually bring closure. It's thoughtful but not self-involved, accessible but by no means generic, and brilliantly energetic but not without its more tender moments".
Musicians As well as widespread praise from the press, several fellow
musicians also held the album in high regard.
Death Cab for Cutie bassist
Nick Harmer cites that the album is his favourite 2008 release, stating: "It's lyrically perfect with words that hit you right in the heart. And coupled with Scott Hutchison's vocals, the whole thing just kills me". The band would later go on to support Death Cab for Cutie on their November UK tour.
Biffy Clyro frontman
Simon Neil stated in an October 2008 interview that "The Modern Leper" was his favourite song of the year, and Frightened Rabbit were soon announced as the main support during their December tour: "We're incredibly excited to tell you that we'll be joined in
London,
Birmingham,
Manchester and
Glasgow, by the quite brilliant Frightened Rabbit, whose album
The Midnight Organ Fight is one of the best albums of this year. Utterly fantastic. Check it out. Now".
Fightstar vocalist and guitarist
Charlie Simpson claimed the band "are by far the best thing I have heard for about as long as I can remember" and heaped praise on the album by adding "it's simply crammed to the brim with beautiful melodies and lyrics so poignant, they keep you thinking about what has been said long after the songs have stopped playing. There must be something in the water up in Scotland because this has got to be one of the best records I have heard since
Aereogramme's debut release". Jim Adkins of
Jimmy Eat World posted a blog on the band's official
MySpace citing that: "[
The Midnight Organ Fight] was my favorite album of the year. Such a great combination of writing and delivery. One of the best live acts I got to see this year as well. I am really excited to see what 2009 brings for these guys". ==Accolades==