White Rabbits, It’s Frightening

Had it been mere narrative, It’s Frightening might be little more than Poe manqué—each song a tale steeped in mystery, suspense and somber reflection. Instead, the sophomore record from Brooklyn’s indie half-dozen delivers a polished cinematic sound, probing the depths of melodrama that made their debut effort a striking success.

The curtains open on “Percussion Gun,” a skins-heavy track that beats like a telltale heart and triggers the erratic pace of an album that wanders through frenzied peaks (“Lionesse”) and morose valleys (“Midnight and I”). The wizardry of Spoon vocalist and album producer Britt Daniel is most salient on the slow-building pop piece, “They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong.” Ultimately, though, the lurking left-hand piano and rasping melodic vocals are the anchors that lend It’s Frightening a sound far more haunted than any whodunit tome.