The Fratellis - Henrietta

The Fratellis are a rock band from Scotland, and, much like Scotland, they’re a bit unusual in a great way. The band’s a pretty straightforward three piece, drums, bass, guitar and vocals, but each band member contributes to their sound in sneaky ways. Jon Fratelli, frontman and guitarist, also contributes on piano and keyboards; Barry Fratelli, bassist extraordinaire, also chimes in on backing vocals; Mince Fratelli, drummer, also bringing backing vocals and adding banjo to the mix. When you mix it all up and throw ‘em in a studio, you get a boisterous, sharp, and contagious sound that makes you want to get up and dance, even if you don’t really know all the words one hundred percent.

This week’s song is Henrietta, from one of the band’s earlier offerings, Costello Music. It’s not so much a love song as a lust song, and it’s got a rising, driving, toe-tapping rhythm. It gives you just enough time to catch your breath before it jumps into another rousing chorus, and, just when you think it’s at the peak, they add another level, and you’re dancing even harder. It’s just a straight-up fun song, and I detect some notes of ska, just to spice it up a bit. It’s a bop, and I hope it makes you dance.