Scarling., So Long, Scarecrow
When I first listened to Scarling. this weekend I was shocked at how good it was. The album’s nearly three years old, yet I haven’t encountered it–no one’s suggested it, I never stumbled across it, I read nothing about it online. I somehow completely missed out, which offends me because this record represents the perfect storm of music I like. If you were to add pieces of all the music I’ve fallen in love with over the past year (a female vocalist, melodic noise rock, shoegaze influence, dark obtuse lyrics) you’d come out with Scarling. I’m in shock that no one musically-inclined thought to mention the band to me.
Then I thought about it, and remembered that those particular sensibilities don’t go over well with anyone I know. No one I know fell for Blonde Redhead or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (female vocalists) like I did, no one liked the Raveonettes (melodic noise rock) as much as I did, absolutely no one enjoyed the Cocteau Twins’ (shoegaze) record I couldn’t stop playing as much as I did, and only a handful of people I know enjoy the Smashing Pumpkins (dark obtuse lyrics) as much as I did. So as those artists didn’t impress others as much as they impressed me, Scarling. did the same and slipped under the radar.
I’ve listened to both albums this weekend, but So Long, Scarecrow was a more revelatory experience than the more abrasive, heavier Sweet Heart Dealer. “City Noise” was the first song that made me realize I loved the album, and “We Are the Music Makers” is probably the catchiest song on the record. I don’t expect anyone to have the same experience I had listening to Scarling. for the first time after my track record with this sort of music and my friends (namely, that they don’t mix). I’ll file it under “music I love, that no one else I know does,” a lonely category with which I’m happy to indulge myself.
Jens Lekman, “A Postcard to Nina”
Jens Lekman was the darling of a particular music blog last year and it took me a while to find anything in particular about him that made him stand out. This song is what finally grabbed me. The ukulele version linked above doesn’t do justice to the lush album version of the song with horn section and the subtle crackle of a record player. I’m a sucker for songs that tell a story in plain terms, and “A Postcard to Nina” succeeds in that capacity, telling a true story about Jens acting as Nina’s boyfriend when visiting her dad so that Nina could stay with her girlfriend. Wonderfully sweet in a sincere way, the song crescendoes with the repeated statement, “Don’t let anyone stand in your way.”
Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
It’s taken me about a year to finally give this album a proper listen, and I regret not doing it sooner. I love Neko Case’s voice, and, I’m afraid to admit, her angelic vocals are the only thing that keep me interested in the New Pornographers. I’ve listened to the opening strains of this album over and over, but it’s the final two tracks which hit me the hardest upon finally listening to the whole record. “At Last” is a minute-and-a-half song that demonstrates what Neko does best–a country song with excellent writing and singing, the instrumentation providing atmosphere to her incredible voice. “The Needle Touched Down” is a hauntingly beautiful way to close the album, her vocals intimate and initially more subdued and sultry than they are at other places on the album, a wonderful way to close out the record. At any given time, Neko’s alt-country solo work has the ability to floor me, and I don’t know why it took me so long to listen to some of her songs. «»
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