Carla Bozulich, Part I : Queenie I Call Thee Carla
posted by Villain at 1:37 PM
Ethyle Meatplow - Queenie
even i have to put a parental warning on this one. this song - most any song by ethyl meatplow - is an experiment in swearing. it is sailoresque.
Ethyle Meatplow was an industrial goth rock band that sounded similar to some material from the Jesus Lizard. Meatplow however was a short-lived band that fell apart not long after their first album release. The primary voice of teh band was one Carla Bozulich - a member of the so-cal music scene whos vocal scrawl is the kind of thing you only achieve through cigarettes and bourbon, and it was Bozulich who would be a major influence on the bulk of my 90's listening habbits. Bozulich was an influence that lead me towards the heavier rock and punk bands as well as the early alt-country of uncle tupelo (and ensuing bands Sun Volt and Wilco) and the folk-rock of billy bragg and so forth...
The vocal content of any given Meatplow track is primarily sexualized and frequently about emotional, physical, or drug abuse. rumors of which were often thrown about whenever a Bozulich band broke up. it's the kind of poor-me material that makes me cringe today. but when performed by a voice like Bozulich which is both confident and brass , the tone becomes knowing. it is factual and unappologetic . her thick vocals underscored by dynamic percussion.
Bozulich would manage little more than a small following from her days as the powerhouse vocal leader of an expero-industrial band to her re-emergence a few years ago as, essentially, a soft-spoken country revivalist. her career of the past 13 years seems less an attempt at reclaimed innocense. and more the absolution of knowing.
even i have to put a parental warning on this one. this song - most any song by ethyl meatplow - is an experiment in swearing. it is sailoresque.
Ethyle Meatplow was an industrial goth rock band that sounded similar to some material from the Jesus Lizard. Meatplow however was a short-lived band that fell apart not long after their first album release. The primary voice of teh band was one Carla Bozulich - a member of the so-cal music scene whos vocal scrawl is the kind of thing you only achieve through cigarettes and bourbon, and it was Bozulich who would be a major influence on the bulk of my 90's listening habbits. Bozulich was an influence that lead me towards the heavier rock and punk bands as well as the early alt-country of uncle tupelo (and ensuing bands Sun Volt and Wilco) and the folk-rock of billy bragg and so forth...
The vocal content of any given Meatplow track is primarily sexualized and frequently about emotional, physical, or drug abuse. rumors of which were often thrown about whenever a Bozulich band broke up. it's the kind of poor-me material that makes me cringe today. but when performed by a voice like Bozulich which is both confident and brass , the tone becomes knowing. it is factual and unappologetic . her thick vocals underscored by dynamic percussion.
Bozulich would manage little more than a small following from her days as the powerhouse vocal leader of an expero-industrial band to her re-emergence a few years ago as, essentially, a soft-spoken country revivalist. her career of the past 13 years seems less an attempt at reclaimed innocense. and more the absolution of knowing.
