Thursday, April 27, 2006

Unlikely

This post bears the heading above for two reasons: 1) A Shake Your Fist post that clocks in at less than 500 words; 2) Someone actually, in the history of time, pulled off a decent cover of a PiL song. It's none other than Scrawl. I've threatened to post something extensive on them, but, like in life, they're given short-shrift. However, know that this cover is just the tip of the iceberg. Like another fave, filmmaker Richard Linklater, they're capable of spinning gold from things you know well--states like hesitancy, reticence and plain old lethargy. And, just to establish cred beyond all shadow of a doubt, Marcy Mays has fronted an AC/DC cover band.

That should do it. I can't recommend Columbus, OH's finest enough.

Public Image - Scrawl

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Me either. Are they still recording at all any more?

5:14 PM  
Blogger Jon said...

anon.: My research says no. I know their drummer Dana left for Sweden a few years ago and I suspect that, in a way, was the end. However, I've seen them a couple times since, once with a drum machine and once with an ex-guitarist from Gaunt on drums (who was great, btw), and they were wonderful.

You didn't by chance see them with Shellac when Steve began to talk about them in the context of the Minutemen, did you?

9:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scrawl also do a great cover of Wire's "Reuters", available on the Simple Machines label comp.

11:39 AM  
Blogger jonder said...

I always loved Scrawl's cover of "Rocky Top" from the album He's Drunk.

8:15 AM  
Blogger Jon said...

And then there is the cover of Nugent's "Strangehold," a Travel On Rider b-side. They have (had? god i hope not) real range and depth that I'm not sure always came out in their press coverage, but they were higly conscious of history yet made music that was very much their own without getting too cheeky.

They also seemed to get better with every album. How many bands are worthy of that statement?

2:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Coincidentally, I was working on a Scrawl mix cd for myself this weekend. Nice pick.

7:34 PM  
Blogger thepsychicpilot said...

I did a Scrawl post with several songs back in March.

http://thepsychicpilot.com/index.php?s=scrawl

4:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm playing Scrawl right now. I absolutely love their cover of Wire's "Reuters". My girlfriend is hearing them for the first time right now and is enjoying "Rocky Top" and the rest of their first two albums.
--Rob

8:41 PM  

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