Zer0

Scarling. formed in 2002 consisting of former Jack Off Jill frontwoman Jessicka Fodera, her now husband Christian Hejnal-Addams and various other members coming and going. So Long, Scarecrow was the band’s second album after their debut Sweet Heart Dealer and their strongest statement. While Jack Off Jill was the by-product of Jessicka’s teenage angst and anger at society, Scarling. (yes that full-stop is very important) was a more mature vehicle and a better reflection of adult life. In fact if you were to draw a line from the debut Jack Off Jill album Sexless Demons and Scars (1998) to this album the changes in maturity and style are very noticeable.

Scarling. drew heavy influences from shoegaze and gothic rock and incorporated them seamlessly into their alternative rock sound. For every dark and sinister spidery guitar line there are dense walls of guitar to break the sombre mood. But more importantly there are some great songs on this album, with memorable choruses and some great lyrics. None more so than ‘City Noise’, which was the lead single from the album and is the band’s finest moment. In fact I still think it is one of the most criminally over-looked songs of the 2000’s. Its quiet-loud dynamics, noisy multi-tracked guitars and thrilling chorus never fail to please me after many, many listens. ‘We Are The Music Makers’, ‘Bummer’ and ‘Manorexic’ also ensure that there are plenty of hooks elsewhere, with ‘Manorexic’ even giving guitarist Christian Hejnal-Addams an opportunity to give his effects pedals some hot action.

Songs such as the brooding ‘Cahuenga (Northbound On)’, ‘In The Pretend World’ and the quiet yet downbeat closing track ‘So Long, Scarecrow’ allow for some introspection for the listener. It’s an album that reveals quite a lot of depth and character when you allow yourself to become immersed in it. But more impressively is the almost seamless amalgamation of guitar noise and pop hooks that prove that alternative rock didn’t die during the 90’s. The opening song ‘Hello London’ is a great example of this with Jessicka’s voice sitting on top of slow, sludgy guitars and making it sound completely natural. The album is not without some weaker moments however, with ‘Like a Killer’ and ‘Caribou & Cake’ perhaps filling out the running time a bit. Not that they are bad songs of course, but in comparison to the rest of the album they don’t seem to have as much purpose or intent.

Despite the album receiving very positive reviews on release, and with the band even being hand-picked by Robert Smith himself to tour with The Cure, commercial success was not to be, making it a classic case of wrong sound wrong time. The band are still officially in existence and the follow-up has seemingly been in the works for a number of years now. Whether the new album will ever see the light of day is debatable but hopefully it will be with us soon. Never the less So Long, Scarecrow is a forgotten gem of the last decade and deserves to be heard by more ears.

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