A Place Where I Know

San Francisco singer/songwriter invites us into her living room, 4 track on the coffee table. These are simple low-fi recordings mostly of just Paula, her acoustic guitar, and her crystalline inimitable voice, a voice like that rivaled only by the Northern Loon, the Hermit Thrush, or possibly the Trumpeter Swan. Paula is most famous for her early-mid 90’s band Tarnation, signed to 4AD/Reprise, that was a forerunner in the entire shoegaze, alt.country scene. The terms “southern goth” and “goth western” were first used by the press to describe Tarnation. Paula’s songwriting is pointed, colorful, but mostly dark melancholy and heartbreaking. Her voice is perfect, with a slight southern twang accent that betrays her roots (her family was run out of the tiny Georgia town she grew up in because of her pot possession bust). This material is decidedly folky, twangy, simple, very low-fi in production, but succeeds in showcasing her songwriting and singing abilities like none of her previous releases. Her admiration of Ennio Morricone (aka Spaghetti western music) and classic songsters of the Lee Hazelwood, Johnny Cash realm shines through here. Songs are culled from her repertoire 1992-2002. Also check out the WNL recording of Paula performing solo acoustic 9/2002 available at the station.

1)lovely version of sweetest song from her most recent
2) faster paced version of one of her darkest songs, dubbed harmonies demonstrate her studio perfection
3) upbeat minor toned galloping Moriconne western
4) slow waltz, one of her best songs, with psyche fuzzed out guitar melodies and perfect voc harmonies dubbed in
5) newer song, some of her prettiest singing ever over a dark theme
6) Tarnation’s most rockin song smacks more of a Morricone galloping ballad, with lots of harmonies and low fi production
7) dark waltz, very pretty, very Morricone with chorus hook, can picture Clint Eastwood riding down a brushy draw, gun drawn, Paula’s voice is perfectly tuned with utmost control, masterful
8) newer, poppier, with simple Vox organ and sweet harmonies
9) more complex melodies of later Paula composition demonstrates that Paula is only getting better with age, nearly exotic in nature
10) simple prettiness, sad love stuff, poor paula
11) another later poppy classic
12) dark poppy with droney low end