I have been a diehard Frightened Rabbit fan ever since I first heard the heartbreaking lines of “Poke” and I think finally really learned how to cry. Just as much of a poet as he is a musician, Scott Hutchinson knows how to write a song that will give you an emotional punch in the gut, all the while making you want it to happen all over again. And again. And Again. With this in mind, I awaited the release of Pedestrian Verse with baited breath, wondering if the group could possibly reincarnate the raw perfection of 2010’s The Winter of Mixed Drinks, where lyrics such as “She was not the cure for cancer / and all my questions still ask for answers / there is nothing like someone new / and this girl she was nothing like you” made you want to give up on love and keep looking for it all at the same time. I’m pleased to say this album was worth the wait.
With Pedestrian Verse, we see a new level of maturity that starts to emerge while still capturing the poignant and contradictory mix of absolute heart and fuck everything ambivalence Frightened Rabbit does so well. No longer does the music carry exclusively messages about Hutchison’s particular perspective and experience — it also makes certain commentaries about society at large, as seen in the album’s opening track, “Acts of Man.” The song, sung in Hutchison’s trademark matter of fact tone, observes the human behavior that is less than applause-worthy. “While a knight in shitty amour / Rips the drunk out of her dress / One man tears into another / Hides a coward’s heart in a lion’s chest,“ Hutchison sings as he goes on to later apologize that, despite his best efforts, his behaviors are no more heroic than any of the others that make up the muck of human action. The effect is unapologetically apologetic, and it is pretty damn haunting.
This newfound maturity is further seen in “State Hospital,” one of the real achievements of the album. The song is truly brilliant. Dripping with empathy, it follows the story of a girl fighting through life in the throws of depression. Lines such as “The cheek of youth flashed red and turned gray / Now she lies on the pavement, she’s helped to her feet / All thighs, hair, and magpie handbags / Saturday’s uniform for the fuck me parade” illustrate the tragedy of someone who has given up on herself. Hutchison pans out to a larger perspective in the chorus, however, acknowledging the strength the song’s protagonist is unaware of: “Her blood is thicker than concrete, forced to be brave.” The song ends with gentle chants of “All is not lost” so the listener is left with the beautifully confusing mix of sadness and hope that ultimately sets the tone of the entire album.
Sadness and hope — that’s kind of exactly what this album is. Pedestrian Verse is all the musical style we associate with Frightened Rabbit, with themes that are a little less petulant than what we heard on previous albums. While they were undoubtedly great, it is refreshing to hear the clear growth occurring here. For anyone looking to consider the stark, wonderful, ugly, brilliant irony of life, this is the Frightened Rabbit album for you. For the highlights of the album, don’t miss “Acts of Man,” “State Hospital,” and “Nitrous Gas.”
Pedestrian Verse