in which scotland is appreciated

so, as any regular reader of this blog knows, i 1) love music from scottish bands and 2) love scotland in general. it was funny - when i was in college (and still actually believed that i would be an archaeologist who specialized in roman/medieval britain), i was the lone representative in my group of friends when it came to scotland. there was a lot of love for france, even more for ireland. others liked germany and even england (which, admittedly after working there on a dig one summer, i adore, too), but no one, it seemed, to be enamored of scotland as i was.

i'm not sure what it is about scotland that's captivated me for much of my life. it's one of the most beautiful places i've ever been to, for sure - i dare anyone to sit on one of the cliffs on the isle of skye and try to tell me they're not in one of the most magical locales on the planet - and it's got a fascinating history. i'm a sucker for kilts (which, sadly, the husband won't even entertain the notion of wearing for me), bagpipes, and shortbread (but not haggis). and, of course, the hillsides are covered in heather, which i suppose i've always loved because - duh - it's my name (not to mention really beautiful in the wild - the plant, i mean). the people there are insanely friendly (if not a bit difficult to understand at times). i used to fantasize about moving there, but, alas, that never came to be.

so now i have to rely on my memories of my summer there. it doesn't hurt that much of the best music nowadays comes from there, either. my favorite, of course, is frightened rabbit, who i will easily admit to being a dorkish fangirl about. i've seen them...um...a lot in concert (pretty much every time they come to LA, save once, since i started listening to them). and while i'm more of a singles girl than an album fanatic, i will admit that i tend to listen to FR albums in their entirety because they're just that good.



so, for the nth time, i'm going to share a FR song with you, dear readers. and, like my rambling diatribe above, it's an ode to scotland called, appropriately, scottish wind. have a listen:

come gather in my lungs, scottish wind
belt out your blackest poems as the sea around you sings
when the drone takes to the air a single note to raise my hair
carry songs beyond my lungs, cold scottish winds

come fall upon my shoulders, scottish rain
and dissolve all of the worry that has hunched this back of mine
let the hurt run down the drain to the reservoir
and one day i'll add a drop of my old worries to a dram

gather heavy in my lungs, scottish wind
all the fag smoke in the ether of the grouse that clips your wings
and i will cough just like my granddad and his grandpa before him
oh, blow youth into these lungs, old scottish wind

come burl around my body, scottish blood
i'll try not to spill a drop, i'm sure you've spilled enough
and the ancient english rule will mean nothing to these towns
run forever in my veins, bold scottish blood

bring a whisper to my mouth, soft scottish winds
just enough to say" "i love to the girl that keeps me sane"
and take the stupid things i've said and blow them miles and miles away
thank you in advance, scottish wind
thank you in advance, scottish wind

(mp3) scottish wind (rockness acoustic session) by frightened rabbit



check out frightened rabbit this summer as they open for death cab for cutie on one of the following dates. excited that the boys will get a chance to play on some big stages, but bummed that the intimacy of smaller clubs will be lost (yet, i still have tickets to one of the shows at the greek!):

07/27/11 - Columbus, The LC Pavilion
07/28/11 - Detroit, Fox Theatre
07/29/11 - Toronto, Molson Amphitheatre
08/01/11 - Boston, Bank of America Pavilion
08/02/11 - Brooklyn, The Williamsburg Waterfront
08/05/11 - Philadelphia, The Mann Center
08/06/11 - Pittsburgh, Stage AE
08/07/11 - Columbia, Merriweather Post Pavilion
08/08/11 - Cary, Koka Booth Ampitheatre
08/10/11 - Nashville, Bridgestone Arena
08/11/11 - Alpharetta, Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre
08/12/11 - New Orleans, Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena
08/13/11 - Grand Prairie, Verizon Theatre
08/15/11 - Phoenix, Comerica Theatre
08/16/11 - La Jolla, RIMAC Arena
08/18/11 - Los Angeles, Greek Theatre
08/19/11 - Los Angeles, Greek Theatre
08/20/11 - Las Vegas, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
08/22/11 - West Valley City, Maverik Center
08/23/11 - Morrison, Red Rocks Ampitheatre
08/25/11 - Chicago, UIC Pavilion

buy lots of good music from frightened rabbit HERE.