ALBUM REVIEW: Frightened Rabbit- Pedestrian Verse
The transformation of Frabbit from their breakout album Midnight Organ Flight to Pedestrian Verse is a strange, but still completely sensible one. On Organ Fight, the band had a raw and emotional sound. They utilized it incredibly well in displaying the intense sadness of a breakup. Plus, that was when they weren’t signed to Atlantic records. The Winter of Mixed Drinks saw them become more sonically powerful, at the cost of losing some of that raw emotion. It makes sense in terms of their growth, but it wasn’t quite as great as Organ Fight. Now, with their major label debut, we have a Frabbit that is finally both emotionally raw and sonically powerful. And it’s pretty great.
While this whole “Faulx-lk” genre taking over the mainstream has boded some good (The Lumineers) and bad (Phillip Phillips), I think it’s opened the door wide for acts that have traditionally been considered real folk. Case in point, Frightened Rabbit. This explosion of guitars and beards on the radio has made now a prime time for Frightened Rabbit to break out, and this emotionally resonant and fantastic sounding record will hopefully accomplish some of this.
The big thing I’ll point out is that Scott Hutchinson has been one of my favorite vocalists since I first heard Midnight Organ Fight. His voice really conveys the immense heartbreak of their music, and he always feels earnest and real. His wailing can also be really spine-tingling. Sadly, The Winter of Mixed Drinks had the band fall back on catchy choruses more than Hutchinson’s powerful vocals. Here, we have a phenomenal vocal performance from Hutchinson on nearly every track. Plus, the tracks manage to remain catchy! It’s great!
The anthem style that the band has grown into also truly suits their sound well. Every song sounds like a call of arms to sad people. Each song soars loudly through the air, propelled by the driving guitars and nice percussion. It acts as a backbone to really help Hutchinson show off his stuff. Even some of the more electronic stuff on Backyard Skulls works incredibly well. While it initially feels out of place, it eases into the song and makes complete sense before the end.
The album isn’t as strong in the songs department as the past two were. Not that anything is bad, because that’s not the case. Except, here, there aren’t as many tracks like Keep Yourself Warm or The Loneliness and the Scream, which their past two albums were chock full of. Songs that had catchy hooks and managed to be incredibly powerful. Here, there aren’t as many “Hook” elements. While this is generally a good thing (It allows for more focus on their already amazing sound and lyricism), it does make it seem like there aren’t as many standalone great tracks here as before.
Also, the lyrics are finally back to where Frabbit is best. The Winter of Mixed Drinks had some nice lyrics, but it didn’t really have the punch or emotional impact from Midnight Organ Fight. Here, Hutchinson has returned the sad lyrics, put in the anthems and production from Mixed Drinks, and that honesty that’s made all of their music good. On a whole, this album has really brought out the best in the group more than the record before it.
It’s not as striking as Midnight Organ Fight, and it doesn’t have as many memorable tracks as Winter of Mixed Drinks, but this album is easily Frightened Rabbit’s best beginning to end album as a whole yet. It really proves that Frightened Rabbit has some great potential, and it shows that the magic that made their breakout so wonderful is still there today.
Summary: Full of powerful music and raw emotion, Pedestrian Verse shows off what Frightened Rabbit does best by mixing the great production and choruses from Mixed Drinks and the raw emotion and lyrics of Organ Fight
Choice Cuts: Holy, The Woodpile, Dead Now, State Hospital
4.5/5
Watch the videos for Dead Now and The Woodpile below. Pedestrian Verse is out 2/5 on Atlantic Records/ Canvasback
ALBUM REVIEW: The Joy Formidable- Wolf’s Law
I’d like to say that we are in a renaissance of good rock music, across the board. Many may disagree with me, but I feel that nowadays, there’s a lot of really good rock music being released, both in the Indie world and in the mainstream. I mean, there are so many groups that are considered “Mainstream Radio Acts” that I actually really, really enjoy. Passion Pit, The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons (Get at me), and more recently, The Joy Formidable.
I heard their previous album, The Big Roar, two years ago, and I thought it was really, really good. They had a nice energy and sound, and a fantastic female vocalist in Ritzy Bryan. The group also meshed together a lot of different genres into one slick and sweet sound. It took Shoegaze, Arcade Fire theatrics, and snarly post-punk, and made a nice sounding album out of it.
2 years later, The Joy Formidable are getting pretty big. I hear them on the radio all the time (which I don’t mind in the least bit), and they make good music. On their latest album, it’s apparent that the band is aware of how big they could be, and I was going into this album expecting to be disappointed. Turns out that that’s a really stupid reason to be skeptical.
I suppose we should get the bad things out of the way, first. Initially, I was weary about individual songs, but a lot of them turned out to simply be growers. Instead, one problem the album has is that it doesn’t really unify it’s idea in a way other than sonically. I mean, the gorgeous album art, the name of the album, and the epic sound really makes you think that there should be some kind of overarching theme. There might be, but the album never really reveals it enough for it to be relevant. Another thing I’ll briefly note is that this album feels a bit less daring than The Big Roar. That album, as rarely as I revisit it, always stuck out to me as an Alt-Rock album with a bolder taste. Wolf’s Law still kind of retains some sense of freshness, but it’s daring eccentricities are not as apparent (or even as present) as their last album.
However, as much as those little things do have a minor effect, this is still an album that seemingly panders to my taste for a perfect crowd-pleasing record. You’ve got thrashing punk (Rats), a gorgeous acoustic ballad (The absolutely beautiful Silent Treatment), My Bloody Valentine Shoegaze intros (Maw Maw Song), and a whole ton of other examples. Even if the album doesn’t work as incredibly well at establishing an idea, it does an amazing job at being an irresistible melting pot of Rock n’ Roll.
Image Courtesy of The Joy Formidable
Also, Bryan’s vocals are top notch. No matter what the attitude of the song, she can convey the perfect attitude and sound, leading to a lot of spine tingling moments. This album also establishes a sense of unity in the band that I don’t think was there before. While I liked The Big Roar, it sometimes seemed like all the different elements were in disarray and out of touch with each other. Here, the guitars, drums, vocals, and songs themselves are organized, and feel together. The band feels like a very, very strong band. This might because of the decreased experimentation, but this album really sounds like it was made by a talented group that has mastered their sound.
There are a lot of anthemic moments here that, while some may find them pandering, I love. The Joy Formidable has managed to find an interesting sound and bring into a truly fantastic project that will probably outgrow a lot of its nitpicky problems and become something to be admired. I’ve heard a lot of records that have gone for this approach, but rarely has it worked. On Wolf’s Law, The Joy Formidable truly make their sound and album work, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. And I can already tell this album is going to grow on me, and I really like that. If you want proof, check out the closing track, The Turnaround. Emotionally powerful, shoegazy, gorgeously produced, wonderfully performed, sprawling…everything I want in an alt rock song is there.
Summary: Beautiful, Anthemic, Sonically interesting, and wonderfully performed, Wolf’s Law manages to cover its thematic holes with its fantastic instrumentals and songs.
Choice Cuts- Silent Treatment, The Leopard and The Lung, The Turnaround
4/5
Check out the video for Cholla below. Wolf’s Law is out now on Atlantic/Canvasback
EP REVIEW: Frightened Rabbit- State Hospital
FRABBIT!
If you’re not yet aware, I have a distinct love for Scottish Indie Folk. There are so many great bands from the scene, all of which make music jam packed with emotion and soul. The most successful band from this scene/style would probably be Frightened Rabbit.
Formed in 2003, the group really blew up in 2008 with the release of their emotionally wrenching break-up album, The Midnight Organ Fight. This album really brought them a lot of exposure and brought them quite a following. Hell, that album practically got me into Indie Rock. They’ve released several solid singles since, along with 2010’s follow up album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, which was filled to the brim with huge anthems and earnest lyrics.
Their latest EP, their first release as new Atlantic Records signees, shows that they haven’t lost their touch one bit since we last heard them. The songs all retain their familiar drive, fiery vocal deliver, emotive lyrics, and just a big heart in general. Songs like State Hospital and Boxing Night retain their distinct, Frabbit feel without coming off as rehashes of their past. The EP (Save the closer, which I’ll get to in a second) manages to keep their old sound without coming off as repetitive or unoriginal. The organ sounds and finger picking guitars on Boxing Night help the song grow more and more as the song progresses into a gorgeous bridge.
All the traditional Frabbit tendencies are here: Catchy melodies, liberal F-bomb usage, powerful vocals, and almost jangly guitars. There are some new elements mixed int, too. The ghostly harmonies on Off are nearly mesmerizing, and the louder percussion on State Hospital is a nice touch, as well. This EP is exactly what I like from a band like Frightened Rabbit: Retention of sound with just enough growth to keep it from being redundant.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed most of the EP. The only part that I was iffy on was the closer, Wedding Gloves with Aidan Moffat, which has a second half that gets a bit too messy and jumbled. However, other than that, this EP is loaded with solid Frightened Rabbit tracks, and its just enough to quench my thirst for their Atlantic debut that (supposedly) will come out next spring. Keep at it, Frabbit.
Summary: State Hosptial manages to show that a new, larger label hasn’t extinguished the Frabbit sound in the least bit, with some great songs to their ever growing list of great songs.
Choice Cuts- State Hospital, Boxing Night, Off
5/5
Stream the entire EP below (And if that’s taken down at some point, settle for the video for State Hospital right below that). State Hospital EP is out tomorrow (9/25) on Canvasback/Atlantic.
Vantage Point Music 