Scarling. (And Jack Off Jill to a Lesser Extent...)

[Semjaza]

Well, for those that don't know... Scarling is a band. The key member is Jessicka, who some may know from the now defunct, yet excellent, Jack Off Jill. The break up of JOJ was sad for me, mostly because their final release was easily their best and left so much room for potential.

Scarling has been around for a couple years now, it seems. They put out a vinyl single long ago, which I own... but never actually played. They finally released their main LP known as Sweet Heart Dealer this past week. I also picked up the CD version of their single which now also includes a cover of Radiohead's Creep.
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I kind of expected this band to sound more like JOJ than it actually does. Jessicka still has the same sweet, almost child-like voice she always had... the screaming still is intact, although it's not really as common, I suppose.

I suppose the best comparisons would be a band like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or My Bloody Valentine. Particularly the latter. You're left what is basically a wall of sound that somehow manages to still carry some sense of melody. It's very well layered, though, and I feel a massive amount of talent is shown considering this is their first release.

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I've played the LP a few times and it has definitely grown on me. While I don't know that this is as good as JOJ's Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers (the previously mentioned final release), Scarling itself definitely has more future potential than JOJ had.

So it's worth checking out if you get the chance. Sweet Heart Dealer can be grabbed for around $10 if you look around. I wound up spending like $13 since it's apparently considered a full release despite only being 7 tracks long (but it does clock in at like 30 something minutes... which seems long enough when you play it heh). I do wish it was longer though, especially considering the wait.

[Lady Asphyxia]

[font=Verdana][size=1]Well, I saw your post in your blog saying you had the CD on your radio.blog, so I did what any normal fan would do -- I went to check it out. At the moment I've listened to [i]The Last Day I Was Happy[/i], and [i]Band Aid Covers The Bullet Hole[/i]. While I've never actually heard My Bloody Valentine, I have to agree that this isn't much like the sound Jack Off Jill had. [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1]That being said, I think that it's probably a good thing that Scarling aren't a carbon copy of JOJ, but keep enough of the elements that JOJ had -- Jessicka's voice, for instance -- to keep the fans coming back. [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1]I think that the new songs are absolutely fabulous. When I finally manage to find/order this CD in, I'm going to be absolutely ecstatic. [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1]While it's sort of hard for me to tell, I think that Scarling do the same thing as JOJ used to do -- let the new song's beginning run on from the old song's end? [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1]Anyway, from what I've heard, it's a great 'new' band. I look foward to seeing more of them...hopefully.[/size][/font]

[Semjaza]

Cool. I'm glad someone took advantage of me streaming their release off of my site. It let's me avoid just handing out MP3s, which is always a good thing heh. Scarling needs all the sales it can get.

I think the only real parallel between JOJ and Scarling is really just Jessicka. Her vocals were really the center point of JOJ and they continue to be now. She has a very distinctive voice. Obviously, as I said, the screaming was cut down substantially... which is better for this band.

The writing seems to be just as dark and morbid though heh.

[Lady Asphyxia]

[font=Verdana][size=1]The writing does seem to be just as morbid, yes. *has already looked up Lyrics.com for Scarling lyrics* [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1]I think my favorite song at the moment is Band Aid Covers The Bullet Hole, partly because of the melody -- it's very soft and dreamy, but with these dark undertones -- and also (just a tad) because it's the quickest one to load for me. ^_^" [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1]I also particularly like The Last Day I Was Happy, however, I think they're all quite good.[/size][/font]

[Shinmaru]

Heh, I somehow managed to overlook your radio.blog for the longest time until I looked in the corner of page and wondered "Hey, just what [i]is[/i] that, anyway?" So, I tried it out and, lo and behold, I've become a fan of Scarling.

So far, I've listened to the first four songs and the Radiohead cover, my favorite being Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole (though the cover of Creep is well done, as well). I'll definitely have to think about getting Sweet Heart Dealer, especially if I can find it in the $10-13 range. That's pretty affordable for me lol.

I also took the opportunity to listen to the Toadies songs, which you recommended to me quite a while ago, too. Great stuff, heh. You were right about me liking The Toadies ^_^

All of this just confirms the fact that I need more money so that I can enjoy music more =/