I usually just stick to just saying what an album does for me and why I chose it, and leave the rest for people to find themselves. This time, going to borrow Rob's format a bit and break this down into sections with some more expanded background that is hopefully relevant or interesting.
The lyricist(s).
'I'm in the arch, of the church, between her thumb and her forefinger, I'm a worshipper'.
This one is very much about the lyrics, the visuals, the metaphors, like most of their work. I have not known a band to paint such clear imagery in my head, with their or Scott's words. Sometimes simplistic, colloquial, sometimes very forward and obvious, at others a little bit more poetic and abstract, they seem to manage to really hit well and memorable. The opening two verses, a bit of a sledgehammer to the face, are an example, with a scene I can almost see listening to it. Unpleasant the first time I heard it, even more so now, but can't help being moved to the core by it.
There are similar segments throughout the album, and I would encourage people to give the lyrics a passing read and take them in, or if listening to it on apps that offer them up, to have a look at them in process, as they are such a big part of it.
While they don't often follow conventional song structure (verse chorus verse repeat chorus) the lyrics often come together at the end, they sometimes to use a Burns trick where the last couple of lines Are really the song, the rest is the set up to it. This album only has it in a few instances, more prevalent in their work in general, like their now somewhat cult classics The Modern Lepper, Floating in the Forth, or Scottish Winds which is pure modern day Burns. The songs are worth hearing through to the end.
The album and the band
This album is not a mix of cover all song types, i.e here's a popular hit, here's a happy tune, a ballad, etc etc. It is fairly consistent, it is disutopian, moody, a bit of a downer. If you are looking for preconcieved things you like elsewhere, you won't find them here, that would be like going to see a Howson exhibition hoping to see lush landscapes. Perhaps a bit draining and samey, but it has a purpose and is ballsy enough to stick to it. Scott (the singer) once described it as trying to merge something horrible like a panic attack with something beautiful like a painting, and that bittersweet, bleak yet hopeful, feel is there throughout. 'The original album title was Monuments, whuch was "supposed to be representative of a beautiful place that you go to remember something awful". Painting of a Panic Attack similarly "was a way to describe someone or something beautiful yet damaged", and Scott believed "that contrast between beauty and turmoil" was a summation of the album. In fairness, amongst the dour there is some right romance there, like 400 bones, a lovely intimate song, or the helplessness of love in Get Out, or the ending of the Shettleston Romeo and Juliet in Lump Street.
The album is not exactly typical of their sound, with a lot more production, synth sounds and I guess what Rob elsewhere described as a 'post industrial' feel. What they generally are known for is much simpler and cleaner songs with an acoustic guitar foreground, production secondary. I strongly encourage people to listen to what is somtimes known as the 'break-up trilogy' (Good Arms, Backwards Walk, and Poke) off the album that really made them, Midnight Organ Fight, for a true feel of what they are really about. The song Die Like a Rich boy is more of an example of their usual style than the rest of the album.
Not much to say about the band, other than where they really come together is live shows and gigs. Not in the conventional sense of 'putting on a great show', more in the connection they build with the crowd. Hands down by far the most together and 'in tune' I have felt an audience and a band, with a real feeling of shared empathy and joy. I used to thing the ooh ooh ooh on Poke for example, was too drawn out for no reason, till I was in a room live, wishing it would never end. Found a quote in an article once that I can only agree with. 'One reason Frightened Rabbit are so important to so many people is because of the overwhelming mutual empathy in the room when they played live. The joy and force of the music, juxtaposed with the sadness and candour of the lyrics, created a sense of a crowd and band with their arms around one another.' It is a pity nobody will get to experience that again, but some of their recorded sessions are worth a look at on youtube for a hint of what they are like live. The vocals might follow a theme on here, of technically good singer/likeable or not voice. I don't think he is a good singer, there is a pub gig level to a lot of it. He doesn't have a conventional quality voice either, in terms of range, wails etc. But man does he hit a note with me, and his voice, often on the cusp of breaking and with an occasional break, really cuts right through me.
The suicide
Now the tragic bit. And why their work and this album in particular, their final one, are laden with pain for me. I remember it unfolding quite well, the news breaking Scott had gone missing, around the Forth bridge, following a somewhat farewelly tweet. There was a quiet discussion with those around us, but really, we all knew there and then. There was then what I can only vaguely recall as a couple of days of worry from his distraught family and band members, before his body was found. Think there was maybe a 3 page, 3 poster thread on here, but up north it quickly became an important topic. Maybe partly emphasised because he wasn't a typical A-list rick star, but felt a down to earth common lad, close to his family and friends. I have to admit, I kinda shut down and closed it all out, put the albums on a shelf 'behind the picture we bought'. Just couldn't really stomach listening to it for a while. Along with being sad at the loss, there was a feeling of inevitable guilt. It was two-fold. Partly because we all took it for granted, the guy openly struggled with and talked about anxiety, alcoholism etc. he wrote about it, and we pretty much used it for ourselves. We used his hearbreaks to echo our own, compared the breakups, hopes, fears, but somehow dismissed the more significant and serious things. Heck we sang 'I think I'll save suicide for another year' back to him at gigs. The line from his song with Mancheater Orchestra 'you told all of your friends and noone came' suddenly took new meaning
And the other reason was, Because he openly talked about it and was forward with it, and we took that as some sort of triumph over mental health, and then just ignored it. The song floating in the forth was for years seen as a win over a personal struggle, not a damn foretelling. So the loss was somewhat bigger than had it come out of the blue. Then hearing his brother, the drummer of the band talk about how he kind of knew it was coming, particularly after this album, but felt he could do nothing about it was a real blow.
Back to the album, one thing I may suggest, if anyone fancies testing my '3 listens is not enough theory'. Instead of listening to the whole album 3 times, maybe try listening to half the album 5 or 6 times, to really get a chance to let it sink in. For ease, the first 3 songs, and then everything from 400 bones on. Throw in Otherwise disappointing life, if too short. Die like a rich boy used to be the last song, the three after it dince added to the deluxe edition are ok. The wreck has a nice haunt to it, and Wait till the morning could well be an anthem for any given BM thread at a point. But the album isn't particularly improved by them imo. Look forward to seeing what people make of it.
