16. March 2025
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Media Review

The Fratellis – Half Drunk Under A Full Moon

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

The Fratellis - Half Drunk Under A Full Moon

The Fratellis - Half Drunk Under A Full Moon
4.3

Rating

 4.3/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Positive vibrations from Glasgow
  • Feels like a truckload of happiness

Flyctory.com Cons

  • May be a bit too much, if you don't like it too kitschy

Javi Navarro is raising the soccer UEFA Cup on 16th May 2007 in Glasgow. After a thrilling penalty shootout, FC Sevilla wins the minor European crown against their Spanish rival Espanyol Barcelona. Why do I mention that? The song which ran in the background made a local band famous internationally. The band is called The Fratellis and their new album Half Drunk Under A Full Moon will be released on 2nd April 2021.

 

The Fratellis – About The Artists

The Fratellis are typically named an alternative rock or folk-rock band. They have been founded in Glasgow in 2005. Fratelli means brothers in Italian – and that has also been the maiden name of bassist Barry Wallace’s mother. The other band members are John Lawler (guitar) and Gorden McRoy (drums), who both are vocalists in the band as well. The band members typically use artist names and call themselves Barry, Jon and Mince Fratelli. Just one year after the band has been founded, they reached the British Top 20 Singles charts with Henrietta. In September 2006, they released their triple platinum album Costello Music, which has been released in other markets the following years and also lead to good chart positions.

The Fratellis’ most successful single is Chelsea Dagger, which made it fifth in the British charts. The key driver for the success was the fact that the song was used at the soccer UEFA Cup Final 2007 in Glasgow’s Hampden Park during the victory celebrations. The song became very popular in sports in general. Their second album Here We Stand was sucessfull as well and went up to the fifth spot in the British charts. Thereafter, the band had a short hiatus. Half Drunk Under A Full Moon is the band’s sixth studio album.

 

The Fratellis – Half Drunk Under A Full Moon – Track by Track

The ten song album lasts 42 minutes.

1. Half Drunk Under A Full Moon

And they all got down to the Cinderella quick step
In living color, cheekbones like Johnny Depp
When the whip came down it was no joke
Came too soon, half drunk under a full moon

The song is rather slow and comes with a posh rhythmic atmosphere. The whole album has this “being beautiful” touch. The title track is welcoming the user the wonderful world of this album.

2. Need A Little Love

In the second episode of happy music, The Fratellis stuff, the song feels a bit like a kitschy and plushy 1980’s song. There is also quite some echo in the song. A lot of love from Glasgow.

3. Lay Your Body Down

Take the long road when in doubt
Take the long road and you’ll find your way out
Keep the needle spinning round
Find a place and just lay your body down

Half Drunk under a Full Moon is an album travelling through some traditional genres. Lay Your Body Down comes with a slight country music touch (the type of country most Americans dislike…). Like a couple of songs on the album, the style of the songs also reminds me of German schlager. Luckily, the lyrics are not that simple. And, indeed, that also means that the tunes are uplifting.

4. The Last Songbird

Will I be able to stand all the positive sound? Fourth track, the fourth song which is full of warmth and kitsch, especially in the melodies. I think of Johnny Logan, of David Hasselhoff, of all these late 1980’s and early 1990’s artists, which cheered me up in case of a bad mood. These guys beat my youth music stars – and I enjoy it.

5. Strangers In The Street

It’s the cruelest thing when the word is spoken
I swear it’s a sin to see you heartbroken
Darling come the day it’s too much to breathe
I’ll hold this space for you and I won’t let you leave
I will keep the beat
We’ll still move like strangers in the street

Harmony, harmony, harmony and love… Have I really changed that much in one year of pandemic measures. I am pretty sure that I would have hated The Fratellis in the beginning of 2020. Or am I just fooling myself? In April 2021, I definitely like these tunes.

6. Living In The Dark

With the jingle sounds in the background, Living In The Dark could even be a pop-ish Christmas track. Is there also a cover version of Making Your Mind Up on this album? It would somehow fit well to this plushy selection of songs.

7. Action Replay

Maybe all these fools are on the payroll
In that case sleep well and let the good times roll
But understand it’s just the simple slight of hand
On the other hand
One plus one makes three
I guess that’s true to some degree
But only if you squint the right way
Oh watch frame by frame on action replay

A bit surprisingly, Action Replay still has this happy background sound, but the song overall comes with a darker and more melancholic mood. Still, The Fratellis wrote a song you just have to listen to and which you can relate to.

8. Six Days In June

A bunch of happy keyboard chords and brass sounds introduce Six Days In June almost with an orchestral easy listening song like in James Last song. The song gets a bit stronger later in its pop and rock attitude, but I just cannot stop imagining the big bandleader with his 40-piece orchestra. The Fratellis do the same with a group of three (and some studio musicians).

9. Oh Roxy

Roxy, please don’t go – I guess after listening to this song, the lady is either falling in love to the band – or starts hiding in the Scottish Highlands. It feels a bit like the Glasgow band wants to put some extra love feelings into this song – we are close to the end already. The flute solos are a bit too much for me.

10. Hello Stranger

The album opened with the second longest song of this set of ten – and it is closing with the 6:16 minute duration record holder. The song is concentrating on a harmonic sound between the two vocalists and a good melody – and it is doing a good job in it.

 

The Fratellis – Half Drunk Under A Full Moon – Spotify

Here is Half Drunk Under A Full Moon on Spotify:

 

The Fratellis – Half Drunk Under A Full Moon – My View

I love it, I hate it, I love it, I hate it… I just somehow feel that this album has too be too much. There is so much emotion, harmony, love, kitsch…  But I still enjoy all the warmth. This musical embrace from Glasgow is just that welcome on my Flyctory.com work desk. Is it the pandemic which changed me? No idea! But the Vengaboys would not have scored Number 1 hits in the 1960’s as well. Some music just hits the perfect point in time – and to me Half Drunk Under A Full Moon is just an album I really enjoy in late March 2021, when I am actually writing this review.

 

Flyctory.com in Glasgow

Music and more frequently brings me to Glasgow – here are all my postings:

 

Songs Of My Life

Here are the postings of the personal Songs Of My Life category:

 

 

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