New Music Tuesday: A toast to Frightened Rabbit

I've basically been salivating for new music from Scottish quartet (now quintet) Frightened Rabbit since I first heard their last album, 2008's "The Midnight Organ Fight," and quickly became obsessed. At long last, they've returned with "The Winter of Mixed Drinks," which comes out today.

Don't be fooled by the jaunty first single "Swim Until You Can't See Land" (video above). "Winter" is the type of record that plunges you into icy waters (oceanic metaphors abound), and then pulls you out and wraps you in a warm blanket. It has more than its share of heartbreaking ballads, and that's where the band's strength really lies. Many of the songs are structured like waves - building slowly, with guitar reverb or a muted keyboard note, before they come crashing down in a cascade of emotion.

I really took a close listen to the record for the first time a couple weeks ago - on a day when I was holed up in my apartment, looking out the window at the massive blizzard I was avoiding outside. It was the perfect setting, with this music providing ample comfort.