Pedestrian Verse marks the fourth major studio release for Scottish quintet Frightened Rabbit, and proves to be their most carefully contrived album to date, delivering what devotees have come to expect: darkly poetic songwriting that manages to be both blunt and nuanced. Frontman Scott Hutchison draws once more from his seemingly bottomless well of woe to craft intricate lyrics that convey great emotion without coming across as self-indulgent.
Inhabiting a middle ground between the swelling ballads found in previous albums The Winter of Mixed Drinks and The Midnight Organ Fight, the LP is the product of a band that has found its identity. The beautiful, ethereal backing vocals and howling choruses are still there; however, there is decidedly more experimentation this time around. Deviating from the tried and true formula of past releases, Pedestrian Verse incorporates more complex and variable rhythm, as well as marking the band’s first sojourn into the minor key.
The opening track, “Acts of a Man,” builds slowly from a soft piano melody, gradually incorporating neat guitar riffs and resounding percussion that settles like a gray fog.
Clever use of synthesizer rounds out the track without tainting the acoustic flavor. “Late March Death, March” is an upbeat, strummy number which fits right in with the band’s previous work.
Pedestrian Verse’s real highlights come in the second half of the album, however. “State Hospital” takes the form of a beautifully crafted character study, building slowly toward a thunderous, emotional finish that may contain the only thread of hopefulness in the entire album. In “Nitrous Gas,” an achingly sad guitar melody blends with Hutchison’s mournful crooning to form the most heartbreaking—and arguably the best—track in an album full of heartbreakers. This album concludes with “Oil Slick,” a jaunty, yet bitter, tune characterized by sweeping guitar riffs and the very best of Hutchison’s self-deprecating lyrics. Pedestrian Verse illustrates that Frightened Rabbit knows what it’s about: making lovely, gloomy, cutting music. Whether you’re miserable or not, Pedestrian Verse makes great company.
Voice’s Choices: “Nitrous Gas,” “Oil Slick”
