Scribbler

Self-titled 7"

Stumparumper Records

Genre: lo-fi, indie rock, experimental

Halifax, NS

June 5, 2009

The seven-inch single is a precarious art form. It only allows for first impressions. But Scribbler doesn't seem too stressed out about it on this swell frisbee from Patrick Kelley's Stumparumper label; the result is a quaintly superb work of lo-fi avant-rock/pop. The band forgoes the urgency that such a time-limited recording might produce, instead focusing on intriguing the (very appreciative) listener.

Heading off Side A is the strolling "My Old Lady," all falsetto vocals and acoustic folk guitar. Longing yet pretty, it provides a curious juxtaposition to "A Girl Should," whose acerbic guitar chords and sheer density conjure the mood of an Archers of Loaf demo.

The B-side turns up the weirdness factor considerably; lights should be dimmed accordingly. "Ocean Floor" returns to AoL in all its abrasion and restlessness, making for a smoldering torrent of an indie rock song. Brief "A Few Days of Storm," meanwhile, is a titillating morsel of off-kilter folk, while "Nothing but Pain" and tinny "zzzzzz" are stray scraps that close the record on a bizarre note.

If every label put out seven-inches like this, the world would be a much better place. Scribbler have made the most of their allotted groove time, designing a curious piece of vinyl that can be yours for merely four dollars and fifty cents. Convinced?

[Limited to 300 hand-numbered copies on black vinyl.]

scribbler's myspace

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 6 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2009]