Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
Thus far into their career, Frightened Rabbit has been remarkably consistent, and that trend continues with Pedestrian Verse, their fourth studio album. Simply put, if you liked Frightened Rabbit's previous albums, this album is going to work for you: the band manages to sound distinctly like themselves while not repeating much from their earlier work. While it may prove true that Frightened Rabbit will never be able to match their masterpiece The Midnight Organ Fight (which I believe belongs in the conversation for greatest breakup album of all time), this album represents an important step for the band by subtly moving the band into more interesting territory.
First though, a quick digression about sad music: I find mopey wallowing music to be incredibly worthwhile, but only in the proper place and time. Misery music is a lot like Vicodin: when you're in pain, it can be of great use, but limiting its consumption is vital, as that shit is addictive as all hell, and it certainly isn't healthy to be on it all the time (another similarity between the two: when each is combined with alcohol, unpredictable results occur). Because of this, I am much more inclined to listen to happy music much more often, and the artists who trade exclusively in misery get pulled out of the proverbial CD case very very rarely (thankfully).
The Midnight Organ Fight definitely skirted toward misery music territory, even if it never outright crossed the line (I put it into "sadly beautiful" territory and point to "Heads Roll Off", an ultimately life-affirming song about contemplating one's mortality, as the linchpin keeping the album from falling into self-indulgent wallowing). While there was no denying the quality of that album, I did wonder if their extreme competency at it meant the band would be stuck playing depressing downer music for the rest of their careers.
Pedestrian Verse is most encouraging because it shows the band attempting to stretch themselves out of the misery corner. It's important to note these changes happen in the margins - lead singer Scott Hutchison still does let his sadsack cynicism come through at times, and it's not like the band is covering "Walking on Sunshine" or anything - but it is nice to see the band enjoying some growth. This can be most readily seen in the lyrics, which seem to be taking aims more at the universal than the navel-gazing personal, and the music, which at times has more spring in its step than ever before.
I posit that the best example of this new approach is the album closer "Oil Slick," which actually starts off with what could be considered a first for Frightened Rabbit, an actual groove (although those finger squeaks on the guitar strings irritate the hell out of me), before building to their characteristic anthemic cathedral rock in the coda. It is both familiar and yet novel, and the whole thing even ends with birds chirping. Here's hoping this new Frightened Rabbit gets the acclaim they so rightly deserve.
Selections
Oil Slick
My Bloody Valentine - m b v
Geez, My Bloody Valentine release their first album in 22 years, and they don't even get top billing this week? Tough draw. Still, even though I may have been more excited about Frightened Rabbit's album, but this My Bloody Valentine album is a big deal. Far better writers than I have already sung the praises of My Bloody Valentine's 1991 album Loveless, so I'll largely refrain, only saying that perhaps no better album more fully demonstrates its genre than Loveless. I often enjoy making different genre playlists on Spotify, treating them as primers of sorts for people unfamiliar with the genre: I've got my power pop one, my Britpop one, etc. Here's the thing, though: I always felt it completely unnecessary to ever make a shoegaze one, since whatever song order I came up with was never going to be superior to the already existent Loveless track listing. Want to know what shoegaze is? Just go listen to Loveless.
So it's unique for a band to release as singular a work as Loveless, and it's downright bizarre for that album to be the band's last for over two decades. It would be like Guns 'N Roses having the same pre-Chinese Democracy hiatus, but after releasing Appetite for Destruction, not Use Your Illusion. Because of that, anticipation was high for m b v, to put it mildly.
Does the album actually follow through on the anticipation? That's kind of hard to say. What is clear from listening to m b v is that even with a 22 year break, My Bloody Valentine still sounds uniquely like themselves. The guitars are still as ferocious as ever (although slightly punchier than the ethereal ones on Loveless), and the music still manages to balance between rock and drone. I do kinda wonder what took so long, though. I suppose it's not my place to critique an artist's process.
If you're already a fan of shoegaze, you've likely already picked this album up, but if not, you can rest assured that it won't be a huge disappointment. It's not the massive work of genius that Loveless is, but that holds true for all but five or six albums ever. And anyone who is a fan of the countless bands My Bloody Valentine has inspired - pretty much any guitar-driven band of the past two decades, particularly acts like Yuck, The Japandroids, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and The Cloud Nothings - should probably check out Loveless first, but this album would make a fine companion.
Selections (a word of caution; the sound quality these YouTube clips is substandard. Usually it doesn't make a difference, but with a band like My Bloody Valentine, audio fidelity is fairly important.)
New You
Only Tomorrow
Eels - Wonderful, Glorious
People only familiar with Eels from the two wonderful pop songs Novocaine for the Soul and Mr. E's Beautiful Blues might be surprised to learn that its primary member Mark Oliver Everett has battled his fair share of demons, including a dysfunctional childhood, mental illness, and multiple tragic deaths of family members. These demons have informed the majority of Eels' introspective later works, but Eels' latest album Wondeful, Glorious is noteworthy for at least partially attempting to turn the page on a miserable past and get back to writing catchy songs that mix alternative rock, synth-pop, and blues. It all sounds vaguely 90's-ish, but what's wrong with that?
Selections
Peach Blossom
Eels – Wonderful, Glorious
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
This is the first I've heard of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, although it is their second album, and I have to say I'm intrigued by the band. The music sounds a little rough and simple in a lo-fi kind of way, but it never bores. Several tracks have an easygoing 60's vibe to them (not unlike, say, Best Coast, but with a little more variety), and the guitar playing is excellent throughout. The album peters out about halfway through, but this is still a very interesting effort.
Selections
Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
Singles Section
The Airborne Toxic Event - Timeless
The Airborne Toxic Event isn't unlike Frightened Rabbit, in that they are so freaking consistent at coming up with huge songs with to-the-rafters choruses that you want to sing along with. There's no release date for the upcoming album yet, but if this song is any indication, The Airborne Toxic Event will not be changing their formula much this time around.
ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down
Another catchy rock/pop song from a strong-voiced young woman. Does VH1 still play music vidoes? They should be playing this and Gin Wigmore at least twelve times a day each.
Paper Route - You and I
I'm not entirely sure how much I respect this song, but it gets stuck in my head, not unlike Imagine Dragons. I try not to be a music snob, and ear-worminess should count for something.
Marina and the Diamonds - How to be a Heartbreaker
Forgot to add this song. Catchy upbeat dance pop.
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