Frightened Rabbit - 'Pedestrian Verse'

Frightened RabbitPedestrian VerseCanvasback/AtlanticHonest and disarming, Pedestrian Verse, the fourth album from Scottish rock band Frightened Rabbit, marks a growth for the group, musically and emotionally. “Took to the ocean in a boat this time / Only an idiot would swim through the shit I write,” echoes lead singer Scott Hutchison. “There goes a love song drifting out to sea / I’d sing along if I could hear over the oil slick.” Most of this album, produced by Brian Eno-colllaborator Leo Abrahams, was written on the road, and the band practiced each song enough that by the time it was recorded, the songs were broken in, much like a well-worn pair of shoes. Hutchison’s poetic genius is revealed, displaying no inhibition in his candid words while musing on the twisted struggles of life. “We are ruled by a governing frost / It melts beneath alcohol briefly and then bites back.” With hauntingly-poignant lyrics, Pedestrian Verse may be one of the more beautiful albums released so far this year. —Mary Catherine Ballou[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/3637300" params="" width=" 100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]