I recently revisited this album, possibly my favorite of last year, and found it to be both stranger and catchier than I remembered. Upon first listen, early last year, I looked up Carla and discovered she has a long history of making music on the threshold. Her early work in Ethyl Meatplow (why do interesting bands have to pick such bad names?) offered warped dance pop and some seriously messed-up (and NSFW) videos. Carla later moved to Montreal and signed to Constellation, enlisting many of the label's alumni for the heavily experimental Evangelista project. This makes Boy her first proper solo record in many years.
The gorgeous artwork, painted by Carla, immediately struck me with the majestic orange-maned horse and the Van Gogh-esque night. It definitely fits the hazy, sprawling, determined and aggressive tone of the album. Boy was recorded during an extended period of travel and I could hear the "veins of railroad tracks" throughout. Opener "Ain't No Grave" sounds like gothic blues that's been blown apart and the remnants mashed together into a new, alien form, an image that came back to me many times during the album. Every song is anchored by a strong melody, preventing the fragmented arrangements from collapsing. Strong juxtapositions appear throughout like the violent, dark lyrics against wistful chimes and a soaring, languid guitar solo on "Gonna Stop Killing". Even the classic country of "What Is It Baby?" pits rootsy authenticity against mischievous guitar feedback.
