Scrawl Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
It was fitting for the bad-luck Scrawl that Nature Film's artwork included the intended street date of "05-12-1998" -- it wasn't released until a week later. Aware of the likelihood that it would be their last record for Elektra, Scrawl smartly opted to offer as few new songs as possible to the label. Why bake a cake for a partner who's mistreating you, knowing that you can save it for someone who actually deserves it? With that frame of mind Nature Film should be the sound of a band not giving their all, simply going through the motions. That isn't the case -- despite half of the record being actual new material, it's the band's second-best album. They had kept old material from the Rough Trade days in their live repertoire; through years of sporadic gigging, songs like "Rot" and "For Your Sister" turned from good to fantastic, and literally none of their fans could find pre-Bloodsucker releases in the stores. "Standing Around," "Charles," "11:59 It's January," and "Clock Song" also get powerful updates, finally capturing the band's live edge on tape. Most noticeable is drummer Dana Marshall's contributions to the older material. Marshall joined after Bloodsucker. More agile and forceful than earlier drummer Carolyn O' Leary, Marshall's style and advanced musicianship are more complementary to the band. The record isn't just a good trawl through the past -- the six new songs lack nothing in vitality. Bad relationships are still the forte of Marcy Mays' songwriting, who manages to keep it fresh; "You Made It a Crime" is scornful, "100 Car Pile-Up" is shameless rage, and "Guess I'll Wait" is empty resignation. Top it off with a storming cover of PiL's "Public Image," and there you have it: another great record from Columbus' finest. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The indie community's knee-jerk negative reaction to finding out about Scrawl's jump to a major was one of puzzlement. The band had been shafted by most of the small-fry outlets that released them prior, and Simple Machines (which released Velvet Hammer and reissued Bloodsucker) were fans enough of the band to continue their support. Regardless, who knows why a major label would sign a band whose minor chords and emotionally naked songs could never translate into unit shifting, but what the signing meant for Scrawl was better availability. New label Elektra wouldn't have a clue as to what do with them, but at least they could put Scrawl's records in more shops and provide a decent recording budget -- therein lies the band's rationale. Travel On, Rider is their most professional sounding record to date. Without sacrificing the band's rough edges; Steve Albini's and Jeff Powell's recording and engineering give the band it's most polished sound yet, but it doesn't make their songs -- still bitter, still pessimistic, still sad -- suffer for it. Two third-person stories set the table, doubling as highlights: "Good Under Pressure" illustrates a woman on the verge of breakdown and "The Garden Path" tells of another who burns her bridges in search of a new life. The playing is as tight as ever, surely the result of constant touring. Dana Marshall's underrated drums are at their most dynamic, Sue Harshe's Rickenbacker bass is graceful and thick, and Marcy Mays' Wire-meets-Cheap Trick guitar lofts countless catchy riffs. Harshe's piano on the second version of "Story Musgrave" is a major stunner. As Mays sings "I'm smart enough to know you have no use for me," there's little to prevent the onslaught of chills. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
'Velvet Hammer'
Release Date 11/19/1993
Tracks 10
Label Simple Machines
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Velvet Hammer is one of the saddest, most heartbreaking records you will ever hear. It's soaked in tears and alcohol, punctuated with bruises and frostbitten fingers. Whether the songs of fractured relationships within are of romantic or familial nature, they sting with equally biting resonance. Marcy Mays is a mediator between mother and child on "Your Mother Wants to Know": "She wants you to like her so try to forget it/ And she's sorry for all the years and what happened to you when you were a kid." In "Take a Swing," she confronts an angered lover: "If you get me started, there's no telling what I'll do." She's stuck in an un-trusting rut in "Prize": "I get flowers/ I get suspicious, too." Throughout Velvet Hammer, the protagonist is at the end of her rope, struggling to find peace of mind amidst inner and outer turmoil. Though still sounding ragged and a little out of place in the studio, Steve Albini's raw engineering style is tailor-made for the band, especially for this stark material. New drummer Dana Marshall adds a creative instrumental spark, and it seems to have re-fueled his bandmates' creative juices. The closest touchstones with Velvet Hammer have to be American Music Club's Everclear and Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, two other records that bleed with despair and grim reality. It's a blues record from the Midwest and an undeniable diamond in the rough, an unheard indie rock classic. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though Smallmouth is Scrawl's third LP, it's still the sound of a band not 100% comfortable in the studio. Confidence isn't lacking in Marcy Mays' songwriting, however, which continues to improve. The angular jab of "Time to Come Clean" purges guilt while remaining defiant ("I want to look you in the eye/ I have talked behind your back") and in "Charles," the woman wears the pants ("Put out or get out, that's the way it goes"). The band's crafty folk-punk is served up with rare emotion, closing out with a biting version of "I Need You" that is just as gripping as Eurythmics' original. The song's vulnerable-yet-sturdy theme is so fitting for Scrawl that it would be easy to mistake it for a Mays original. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though Scrawl still sounds ragged and tentative in the studio, He's Drunk is much better than their debut, with across-the-board improvement. The band sounds more comfortable with each other and the first instances of the band's knack for committing catchy folk-punk to tape peek through ("Green Beer," "Breaker Breaker"). Rough production cramps some of the tunefulness, but it's not as demo-sounding as their previous LP. One of Scrawl's distinct features over bands of their time was their ability to handle familial relationships and friendship issues without sounding dopey; "For Your Sister" is one such example. A cover of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "Rocky Top" lends a bit of cowpunk edge, and a rare occasion where Scrawl show their sense of humor (also see their Paula Abdul homage on Bloodsucker) looms on a version of "Let it All Hang Out": "Black clothes, white white tan/ That's the way I catch my man, uh huh." ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
