Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 19:22:31 -0500 From: Jeremy L Orr (jeremy@GXL.WOODTECH.COM) Subject: Tarnation! There was a bit of info about the latest 4AD signing in the latest issue of Option (with idiot extraordinaire Moby gracing the cover) in the form of a review of what appears to be an earlier indie release. Of course, knowing Option, it could easily be pretty old, but I found it interesting (or should that be "distressing"?) anyway... ********** Begin plagiarism ********** This kinda-country resurgence has reached alarming proportions. Tarnation straddle the fence 'tween revisionist hokum and trad reliance. Of San Francisco's contingent of mutant combos attempting to get back to their claimed country roots, Tarnation rises cream-like to the top. Singers Paula Frazer and Wendell Sullivan display the counterpoint between heart and mind, he holding down the fort with relaxed, reassuring naturalism and she rocking the boat ever so gently with plaintive, dolorous tones. "It's Not Easy" showcases both of their voices, plus the band's simple approach to songcraft bolstered by emphatic pop overtones. Other selections border on parody (twangy guitars, mournful, cry-in-your-hops singing and funereal rhythms) but without ever succumbing to outright camp. They're better when they stick with what they know: pumping vibrancy and emotion into vignettes of pain ("Lonely Nights", "They Took You Away Again"), desire ("Do You Fancy Me"), betrayal ("Big O Motel") and resignation ("Never an Easy Way"). Nuf Sed, Box 591075, S.F., CA 94159 ********** End plagiarism ********** Anyway, this beggars the obvious question: does 4AD really need another band with a pronounced country influence? No... ---Jeremy Tiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtired. Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 05:44:19 -0700 From: einexile the meek (einexile@NETCOM.COM) Subject: and to make up for that last note Tarnation - Gentle Creatures ---------------------------- 1. Game of Broken Hearts 2. Halfway to Madness 3. The Well 4. Big O Motel 5. Tell Me It's Not So 6. Two Wrongs Don't Make Things Right 7. Lonely Lights 8. Gentle Creatures 9. Listen to the Wind 10. The Hand 11. Do You Fancy Me 12. Yellow Birds 13. Burn Again 14. Stranger in the Mirror 15. It's Not Easy I was wrong about this band, largely. Remember when your parents or someone made you listen to their shitty country records and you thought, "Why is this so damned happy sounding? Why are the lyrics so fucking shallow??" You wanted the song to be genuinely pretty and sad, but it was cheezy and uncompelling. THIS, my friends, is the album you always wanted your lame parents to make you listen to INSTEAD. I reject the David Lynch comments as David Lynch draws his material from established camp staples and never tried to create something genuinely moving or beautiful in his life. His work is poisoned by self-parody and hatred for good art and culture. Tarnation is not a joke. There are many influences here, but I think they are serious. They are used for serious purposes. Tarnation are a band that knows what works and has decided that certain classic elements should not be written off simply because they are old or overused. The steel guitar and country style are here, the Patsy Cline (no i cannot spell her name) vocals, but at the same time you have some thoroughly modern guitar picking and cool strum, HONESTLY cool, not stupid and campy! You people do not get it! Just as you mistake kitsch for good camp, you mistake brilliant art for silliness. HERE, is BRILLIANT ART. Well, not really but it is a dark and mostly beautiful and moving album with definite purpose, based in realism--not surrealism--and achieving that purpose very effectively if you can meet it at the level on which it actually operates. The song off the sampler no longer irritates me in the context of this album. The album DOES have a context and it works, and there are some breathtaking songs on here: Game of Broken Hearts and Lonely Lights especially. Two Wrongs Won't Make Things Right is also very effective, with a classy guitar solo. OTOH, this album has its problem, mainly the vocals of one Michelle Cernuto and one Lincoln Allen. Get these people the hell away from the mic! For God's sake, what are you doing!? The entire album is beautiful and magical and deep and serious, and then they let these two fucking JOKERS, IDIOTS, to the front of the stage and COMPLETELY RUIN IT! Thank GOD for programmable CD players. UGH. The rest of the album is sung by one Paula Frazer who has one hell of a gorgeous voice and knows exactly what the hell to do with it. Lonely Lights is just her and a guitar in Warren Defever's basement and let me tell you THAT is where the future of this band ought to be. Lincoln and Michelle may well contribute to the great songwriting here and there...but well, I have made my point. I am happy--nay, enchanted--damned enchanted!--with this album, but these little earsores really, really fuck it up for me. They ruin the album. Somebody better get with the program cut out those two wankers' vocal cords! Let me reiterate that this album is worth buying for the artwork alone, or at least worth telling other people to buy for the artwork alone if you think the album is great anyway. :) It's not as pretty as King maybe, but i *really* like the King artwork. Mon, 27 Jan 1997 20:45:32 +-200 From: Eitan Shavit Subject: Tarnation's Mirador As promised, here is some more information on Tarnation's new release (April '97) - Mirador. This is taken from 4ad's promo pages. I've picked the information concerning the music, but there's a lot more on those pages on the band's history and influences. there's a lot to read, and I apologize on the length of this. "with the same line-up consolidating around former member Paula, the darkly-brooding laments are more intense, the spooked guitar twangs more haunting, the rhythmic backdrop tougher, and the strength and range of Frazer's exquisite voice captured with greater clarity. After Lincoln Allen, Michelle Cemuto and Matt Sullivan left the band to start another, Frazer was introduced to Oropeza and drummer Joe Byrnes, who's own trio Broken Horse gives the boys their own creative outlet, leaving Paula free to run the roost - the new album Mirador is solely her songs and vocals but ironically, Tarnation sounds much more like a group. The fourth member, Dublin bassist/multi-instrumentalist Jamie Meagan, is Paula's partner, who she met at work - her as an archeologist, he as a construction worker. In these hands, Tarnation dynamics have quadrupled - they're just as likely to rock out (as on "An Awful Shade Of Blue", "Your Thoughts And Mine", the album one cover version "Little Black Egg", and the first single from Mirador "There's Someone") as they are supping from the ballad-heavy well of loneliness. Even in her most lamenting form - "Christine", "Like A Ghost", "Wait" and "Idly", then they are songs that can soothe, not break, your own lonely heart. Tarnation is slang for "hell", says Frazer. I chose the name because it's a comical and dark name at the same time. Sometimes there can be humour in sadness. There are twelve sublime tracks in Mirador, but Tarnation have included two extra hidden tracks - one a haunting, soul-on-fire shanty, Paula's wordless whistling sands moan lulling you to put it out in a watery grave, and an extended sequel to "Gentle Creatures" - "The Well". " There's a lot more on Frazer's musical education and influences, but that's another time. As for my personal thoughts on this album (and I know you can't share this with me yet), it's haunting magic. something like The Bad Seeds without Nick Cave who gave up for Paula's songs. brilliant guitar work, and you all know Paula's voice, which became more powerful and clear. haven't seen the art work for the album yet, and I left the tracklisting at work, so ther's still more to come. again, sorry about the length of all this. Eitan. eitan@netvision.net.il bne1@netvision.net.il Date: Wed, 18 Oct 1995 10:02:05 +0100 From: Andrew Norman (nja@LEICESTER.AC.UK) Subject: Air Miami, Tarnation & Mojave Tarnation - "Gentle Creatures". Great stuff, almost. Straight country music with a ragged edge, generally stays on the right side of the tracks, though there are occasional lapses into near-parody. The album suffers from CD bloat, though - three or four songs should have been dropped, which would have made it a better album and a more reasonable length. I have seen a couple of people saying that the Mojave album is "short" - in fact, 40 minutes is more or less the ideal length for an album. Date: Sat, 2 Mar 1996 20:31:52 +0100 From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen (larsi@IFI.UIO.NO) Subject: New... stuff Whee! I've actually bought some interesting albums. Tarnation - Gentle Creatures Never before have so many people been so right. 1) You've got these nice country tunes sung by Paula. 2) You have these vile "jokey" country tunes from hell sung by some guy that should be shot. Several times. And then strangled. The first time I listened to this album, I kinda smiled at those... songs. Now I just wish I had a remote for my cd player. Those songs are *bad*. Badbadbad. *Bad*! Paulas songs are good, though. I don't know whether they are great or not, but her songs are, like, Country Songs That Don't Suck And Don't Souns Like Badalamenti Either. Which is definitely a plus. Me like. Does she have a solo album out soon? Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 09:26:20 -0500 From: Susan Errington-Wood (Susan_Errington-Wood@AHH.COM) Subject: Re: BAD7006CD Hi All - In response to Aaron Hill's question about Tarnation's review in the NME, I have posted it from the NME's website. I've also included the Laika review as well, as I thought it may be of interest. (apologies if this has been posted already, I'm a digest listee) Sue Reviewed by STEPHEN DALTON TARNATION There's Someone (4AD) "... Paula Fraser has a voice sent down from heaven, somewhere just west of Nashville, Tennessee. She greets 1997 in incongruously rollicking vein with this whooshingly dramatic rollercoaster of clanging surf guitar and reverb-drenched yodelling. A beaut." Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 15:17:11 EST From: Dez (100702.123@COMPUSERVE.COM) Subject: Tarnation TAD7000 I got the limited edition seven of Tarnation's 'There's Someone' in the post today. I was kind of curious how the new mark 2 Tarnation would sound since Paula's the only one left from mark 1. Obviously, her voice is distinctive, and so it's immediately recognisable as Tarnation - but the band! It's vintage Jefferson Airplane, I kid you not. 'There's Someone' rattles along like a track from Surrealistic Pillow, full of trebly acid-guitar with Paula's yearning, slightly hicky vocal (no disrespect intended) replacing Grace Slick's bombast. The other song, 'I Didn't Mean It' is a long country lament, but still there's that feel of SF '67 lurking in the background. I have to say, as a habitual retro-basher, this is fine stuff indeed. I look forward to the album. Until then, I'll have to make do with 2400 Fulton Street, :-) Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 20:45:32 +-200 From: Eitan Shavit (eitan@NETVISION.NET.IL) Subject: Tarnation's Mirador As promised, here is some more information on Tarnation's new release = (April '97) - Mirador. This is taken from 4ad's promo pages. I've picked = the information concerning the music, but there's a lot more on those = pages on the band's history and influences. there's a lot to read, and I = apologize on the length of this. "with the same line-up consolidating around former member Paula, the = darkly-brooding laments are more intense, the spooked guitar twangs more = haunting, the rhythmic backdrop tougher, and the strength and range of = Frazer's exquisite voice captured with greater clarity. After Lincoln = Allen, Michelle Cemuto and Matt Sullivan left the band to start another, = Frazer was introduced to Oropeza and drummer Joe Byrnes, who's own trio = Broken Horse gives the boys their own creative outlet, leaving Paula = free to run the roost - the new album Mirador is solely her songs and = vocals but ironically, Tarnation sounds much more like a group. The = fourth member, Dublin bassist/multi-instrumentalist Jamie Meagan, is = Paula's partner, who she met at work - her as an archeologist, he as a = construction worker. In these hands, Tarnation dynamics have quadrupled = - they're just as likely to rock out (as on "An Awful Shade Of Blue", = "Your Thoughts And Mine", the album one cover version "Little Black = Egg", and the first single from Mirador "There's Someone") as they are = supping from the ballad-heavy well of loneliness. Even in her most = lamenting form - "Christine", "Like A Ghost", "Wait" and "Idly", then = they are songs that can soothe, not break, your own lonely heart.=20 Tarnation is slang for "hell", says Frazer. I chose the name because = it's a comical and dark name at the same time. Sometimes there can be = humour in sadness. There are twelve sublime tracks in Mirador, but Tarnation have included = two extra hidden tracks - one a haunting, soul-on-fire shanty, Paula's = wordless whistling sands moan lulling you to put it out in a watery = grave, and an extended sequel to "Gentle Creatures" - "The Well". " There's a lot more on Frazer's musical education and influences, but = that's another time. As for my personal thoughts on this album (and I = know you can't share this with me yet), it's haunting magic. something = like The Bad Seeds without Nick Cave who gave up for Paula's songs. = brilliant guitar work, and you all know Paula's voice, which became more = powerful and clear. haven't seen the art work for the album yet, and I = left the tracklisting at work, so ther's still more to come. again, = sorry about the length of all this. Eitan. eitan@netvision.net.il bne1@netvision.net.il Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 04:59:17 EDT From: Fan4AD@AOL.COM Subject: Re: From Paula In a message dated 7/5/98 10:25:28 PM Pacific Daylight Time, << Good to hear from you, and so soon! I just recently got into using the email although I have had it for approximately a year. Anyway, I wanted to write back to answer the three questions you sent and just let you know what Tarnation has been up to: 4AD didn't pick up the option for the next Tarnation album because they lost their WEA distribution around the turn of the year and also because they had over extended themselves with contracts and commitments to other bands. At least that is what I am told. It is too bad because I really like all the folks at 4AD (they laid off alot of their staff which is also sad). I hope things will work out for them. Who knows, when they get distribution and all that, perhaps they would be interested in us again. I keep in touch with the people there in LA and London - great people. We don't have another label - we are label less! If you have any suggestions let me know. we are ready to record a new album. We have 15 new songs and more songs in various stages of completion. I don't know what ever became of that 10" idea 4AD had. It was supposed to be a different "limited edition with cool artwork" thing every month for a year with a different artist each month. Good question. I forgot about that actually. I will ask about it. - We recently did a John Denver song: "leavin on a Jetplane" for a tribute album Marc Coselic is organizing. - We did 2 cover songs for a Polygram Publishing compilation: "Blue Angel" and "Funnel of Love". - A song from "Mirador" will be on a soundtrack for an upcoming movie starring Bridget Fonda, Tippy Hedren and Keifer Sutherland called: "Break Up". The song is called "Like a Ghost" I also sang along with some music for the film that will show up during the intro and credits at the end of the movie. Themovie is directed by Paul Marcus of the British series: "Prime Suspects". - I guess you also know that I sang on a song on the Cornershop album. - That is all I can think of that has happened lately. Right now, we are focusing on getting a descent demo and trying to get a label to get interested in us. We are playing at the Make Out Room in SF on July 12 but we are not playing on the 31st. I will let you know when we are playing next after that as shows get confirmed. Please email to me the web site addresses that you post stuff on. I would really like to read whatever you have been writing about lately. Send me your fax # or address and I will send our latest bio and discography. Also I will send a tape which has some recent demos and projects we have been working on. Hope to hear from you soon! Best Wishes, Paula F Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 22:58:51 EDT From: Freak4ad@AOL.COM Subject: Tarnation new line up Now finally, here is a message from Paula that I didn't screw up :) It actually explains the split up discussion we had on the group: << I have new band members since the turn of the year: Patrick Main on keyboards and vocals and Eric Gebow on Drums. I am so used to them being in the band now that I forgot that you might not know this. Jamie meagan is still playing bass. Joe and Alex left to spend more time on their own band, which they have had for 10 years: Broken Horse. >> >> Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 11:10:22 -0500 From: Jeff/UnderDog Subject: Re: Tarnation I heard one rumor that centered around how 4AD had v23 come up with an amazing sleeve design only to have Paula reject it in favor of the art on the US Reprise version. I still feel the 4AD art suits the music better than the Christine Shield "house on fire" painting. But hey, that's what Paula wanted. At least the 4AD version exists...