So Long, Scarecrow

So Long, Scarecrow is the second album by the rock band Scarling. Written and recorded in early 2005, and released on October 25, 2005, it is the first Scarling. album to feature drummer Beth Gordon. Its title is a reference to The Wizard of Oz: in lead vocalist Jessicka's view, the film's Scarecrow is a metaphor for the band itself; the character's initial lack of and search for a brain, she explains, parallels Scarling.'s search for new territory in a predictable and monotonous musical environment.

So Long, Scarecrow
Studio album by
Scarling.
ReleasedAugust 23, 2005
RecordedWinter 2004-2005
GenreNoise pop
Gothic rock
Shoegaze
Length52:32
LabelSympathy for the Record Industry
SFTRI 758 CD
ProducerRob Campanella, Christian Hejnal
Scarling. chronology
Scarling. / The Willowz
(2005)		 So Long, Scarecrow
(2005)		 Staring to the Sun
(2006)
Alternative cover
Sympathy For The Record Industry vinyl edition cover by Mark Ryden
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Alternative Presslink
Filter Magazine85% link
Bust (magazine)Favourable link
SpinFavourable link
ROCKRGRLFavourable link
Scene Point Blank.comFavourable link
Venus MagazineFavourable[1]

Nearly twice as long as the band's debut, Sweet Heart Dealer, So Long, Scarecrow differs from its predecessor not only in length but also in terms of musical atmosphere. This is largely due to the switch in producers between the two albums — from former Nine Inch Nails member Chris Vrenna, whose abrasive, industrial-style production appeared on Sweet Heart Dealer; to Rob Campanella, of the psychedelic rock group The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Scarling. guitarist Christian Hejnal, himself influenced by noise rock and No Wave. The album was recorded at Campanella's studio, the Committee to Keep Music Evil Headquarters/Figment Sounds.

Scarecrow received several favorable reviews: Alternative Press gave the album a 5 out of 5 rating [2] and described Hejnal as a "guitar physicist who holds court over these atmospheric rockers’ second album, approximating everything from space-station climates to sperm whales rollin’ on E, all while delivering solid songs."[3] The Independent noted “Scarling. work up a wonderfully hazy guitar swirl, reminiscent of post-My Bloody Valentine noise-pop from the Britain of the early nineties.”[4] and Bust described the album as "the musical equivalent of an Edward Gorey illustration: ominous and shadowy, but not without a certain sense of morbid joy. Sly lyrics and sarcastic insights pepper Scarecrow’s dystopian soundscape, proving that Scarling has picked up more than just wardrobe inspiration from vets like the Cure." While Jon Wiederhorn said,"guitarist Christian Hejnal, Scarling provide the much-needed element of violence and sexuality other modern shoegazers lack." [5]

The album was preceded by the single "We Are the Music Makers," a split 7" with The Willowz, and has been reissued on vinyl by Sympathy for the Record Industry with alternative cover artwork by Mark Ryden.

Track listing

All songs written by Jessicka and Christian Hejnal.

  1. "Hello London" – 5:50
  2. "City Noise" – 3:17
  3. "Broken Record" – 4:38
  4. "(Northbound On) Cahuenga" – 6:08
  5. "Teenage Party Letdown" – 0:35
  6. "Bummer" – 3:56
  7. "Manorexic" – 4:24
  8. "In the Pretend World" – 4:14
  9. "Stapled to the Mattress" – 5:41
  10. "Like a Killer" – 2:55
  11. "Caribou and Cake" – 3:25
  12. "We Are the Music Makers" – 3:27
  13. "So Long, Scarecrow" – 4:02

Personnel
  • Jessicka — vocals
  • Christian Hejnal — guitar, bass, producer, mixing
  • Rickey Lime — guitar
  • Beth Gordon — drums
  • Rob Campanella — producer, engineer
  • Erik Colvin — producer, vocal tracking
  • Richard Mouser — mixing
  • John Vestman — mastering, mixing
  • Piper Ferguson — photography, cover art
  • Mark Ryden — alternate LP cover art
gollark: So how do you solve this? Just have someone say "no phones for you if you ask for them too often"?
gollark: It's more efficient in terms of output things per input things.
gollark: You can't reasonably cater to every individual separately, because mass production is more efficient.
gollark: But what the people want is *to some extent* what gets produced, because if you don't produce things people want they won't buy it.
gollark: And the money can act as a decent signalling mechanism that you actually want something, like on Kickstarter and whatnot.

References
  1. Morrissey, Callye. Venus Magazine, December 1, 2005
  2. Pettigrew, Jason."Less screamy, more dreamy." Alternative Press Magazine Jan. 31, 2006
  3. Pettigrew, Jason.Alternative Press Magazine, Sept. 2005
  4. Price, Simon. The Independent on Sunday (London, England) September 4, 2005
  5. Wiederhorn, Jon.Modern Shoegazers and Pedal Pushers The emusic Dozen
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