See More Your browser does not support the audio element. Formed by singer/guitarist Marcy Mays, bassist Sue Harshe, and drummer Carolyn OLeary, the group -originally dubbed Skull - debuted in the summer of 1985. I won't lie - I heard of Scrawl though The Afghan Whigs. Her vocals on 'My Curse', for many a highlight of that album, led to a great deal of exposure for her band. Dulli's blend of utter abnegation and masculine swagger may be a crutch, but when everything connects, as it does more often than not on Gentlemen, both he and his band are unstoppable. natives Shudder to Think, who have been busy during the past year composing soundtracks for two independent films, the Ally Sheedy angst-drama High Art and. It even earned Marcy Mays a guest spot as the abused, defiant female voice of The Afghan Whigs' own tour-de-force on twisted, co-dependant, emotionally abusive relationships, Gentlemen. Printed in the right margin, Photo Credit: Pat Blashill 1996. Other times, it's all the much more upfront, as "What Jail Is Like," with its heartbroken-and-fierce combination of piano, feedback, and drive building to an explosive chorus. L - R : Sue Harshe, Marcy Mays, Dana Marshall. From there on in, things surge from strength to greater strength, sometimes due to the subtlest of touches - the string arrangement on "Fountain and Fairfax" or the unexpected, resigned lead vocal from Scrawl's Marcy Mays on "My Curse," for instance. The album truly comes into its own with "When We Two Parted," though, as sad countryish guitars chime over a slow crawling rhythm and Dulli's quiet-then-anguished detailing of an exploding relationship. Greg Dulli's lyrics immediately set about the task of emotional self-evisceration at the same time, with lines like "Ladies, let me tell you about myself - I got a dick for a brain" being among the calmer points. Effective, since what always gave Scrawl their necessary edge was not their limited musicianship but their emotional core. While "If I Were Going" opens things on a slightly moodier tip, it's the crunch of "Gentlemen," "Be Sweet," and "Debonair" that really stands out, each of which features a tightly wound R&B punch that rocks out as much as it grooves, if not more so. While Gentlemen is no monolith, it is very much of a piece at the start. The Afghan Whigs' sound was growing larger by the release during the days on Sub Pop, so the fact that Gentlemen turned out the way it did wasn't all that surprising as a result ("cinematic" was certainly the word the band was aiming for, what with credits describing the recording process as being "shot on location" at Ardent Studios). It’s sad, but it’s easy to relate as we inch towards year three of the pandemic. With the new year here, give it a listen. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs. Many of the albums I’ve written about had songs on that mix and one of the songs I discovered while making the mix was Scrawl’s 11:59 (It’s January) from Nature Film.
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