6.75 out of 10I've been trudging through a lot of 90's Indie Rock lately. Some good, a lot of it bad (and forgettable) but this is one is actually pretty good. An all girl act, Scrawl formed in the summer of '85 and spent a time on Rough Trade until they sadly filed for bankruptcy. Their raw guitar sound had quite the impact on the emerging Riot Grrrl movement. That's the movement they have most in common, although they certainly didn't seem as feminist in nature as several of their contemporaries. Lead singer Marcy Mays would later go on to guest on Afghan Wig's melancholy masterpiece "Gentlemen".
"Velvet Hammer' is an album about a frustrated relationship. It's fierce and often sad. Lyrically, a little sophomoric but musically I really enjoy these guys. It's simple, but emotional. Marcy Mays voice compliments the buzzed guitar and budding base. Steve Albini produced it around the time of Nirvana's "In Utero", if that gives you any idea of the guitar tone. You can really feel the Raincoats inspiration. My favorite track is track one, " Your Mother Wants To Know", estranged mothers are always good subject matter for a sad song.
While not always perfect, and not always great Scrawl's "Velvet Hammer" was a nice find. It's certainly emotional enough to make an impact. I think that's the most important part, because there was a lot of bands with this sound back then.
Standout Tracks: Your Mother Wants To Know
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