SCRAWL Nature Film 1998

by request

 

review

[+] by Andy Kellman

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.

read more

SCRAWL He's Drunk 1988

by request

 

biography

[+] by Jason Ankeny

Long before the riot grrrl movement opened the floodgates for the widespread emergence of female artists in the male-dominated world of indie rock, the Columbus, OH-based trio Scrawl carved out their own tough-minded yet feminine niche within the underground community. Formed by singer/guitarist Marcy Mays, bassist Sue Harshe, and drummer Carolyn O'Leary, the group --originally dubbed "Skull" -- debuted in the summer of 1985 by playing a 20-minute opening set for the Meat Puppets; with the financial assistance of friends, they entered the studio to record their debut effort a year later, releasing Plus, Also, Too on the small No Other label in 1987.

In the wake of the album's strong reviews, Scrawl toured extensively before signing to the Rough Trade label in 1988. He's Drunk, an assured indie pop effort recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studio, soon followed, and in 1990, the trio returned with Smallmouth, a more intimate album produced by Gary Smith. Problems with Rough Trade forced Scrawl to depart the label in the autumn of 1990; a few months later, the company declared bankruptcy, and with its demise, the group's back catalog immediately went out of print.

The sting of the Rough Trade debacle clearly informed 1991's superb Bloodsucker, recorded with Steve Albini; a biting, bitter record, it too fell prey to industry whims and poor distribution, quickly joining the group's other records in limbo. After O'Leary broke ranks, Scrawl mounted the "Foxcore, My Ass" tour as an acoustic duo, recruiting new drummer Dana Marshall prior to signing with the Simple Machines label for 1993's Velvet Hammer. After jumping to Elektra, Scrawl issued their major-label debut Travel On, Rider in 1996. Nature Film followed two years later.

read more