Noncomformists: The Mekons
January 25th 2009 15:49
Perhaps no other post punk band was able to break out of the austere pack more than The Mekons. Through synth-noise and funk workouts to esoteric Anglo-country and western, the Leeds band were--and remain--nonconformists of the first degree.
After their 1979 debut, The Quality of Mercy is not Strnen, The Mekons quickly ditched Fall-inspired punk for a more experimental, everything but the kitchen sink-brand of rock. Things came together quickly; on 1980s Devils, Rats and Piggies group leaders Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh guide The Mekons through a menagerie of styles. Kraftwerk robotics ("Snow"), pub singalongs ("The Institution"), and minimalist storytelling ("Chopper Squad") are all tried successfully then quickly discarded before the next pop experiment. It's a winning approach. There seems to be nothing that the band can't do, even embracing noise on the stunning, horn-laden stream-of-thought "St. Patrick's Day."
Nothing could have prepared listeners, then, for the next detour. Fear and Whiskey (1985) would find The Mekons playing country music--albeit with remnants of punk attitude. Still, the record worked. Langford and his pals were so enthused with their new direction, anyone else along for the ride can't help but be swept along. Fear and Whiskey includes some simple songs ("Country") but also some enigmatic ones: "Trouble Down South" sounds like it belongs in some bizarro update of Oklahoma!
If The Mekons are one of the longest-lived post punk bands, its likely because they are also musicians that continue to follow an elusive, collective muse. Being willing to break with early, established post punk convention allowed the band to transcend all 80s microgenres and create some of the best rock music of the decade.
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