Album: Fear & Whiskey
Artist: The Mekons
Artist: The Mekons
Born: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Released: June 1985
Genre: Folk Punk
Influenced: Tindersticks, Lambchop, Bonnie Prince Billy, Neko Case
The University of Leeds was the breeding ground for not just one notable post-punk band (Go4) but two in the late 70s. Starting out as a DIY lo-fi act, the Mekons evolved significantly in terms of line-up and sound and, by the time of Fear & Whiskey's release in 1985, their emphasis was much more on folk and country. Some musicologists claim they were the forerunners of alt-country, and you can hear the mix of indie rock and country music on songs like Darkness & Doubt, but punk and English folk are equally important elements in their sound. Given their strong anti-capitalist leanings, it was brave and original for the Mekons to incorporate country music at all, given its right-wing associations in America. In doing so, they helped to free country from its political context and claim it as their own. Side 1 of the LP is the more experimental, while side 2 is the more enjoyable as it's when the band really soar. The opening track, Chivalry, has that shambolic feel that would characterise other bands like the Pogues at the time, as Tom Greenhalgh sings about despair and late-night boozing against the backdrop of a mournful violin sound.
Trouble Down South may be enough to put some people off listening to this record, but it's important to plough on through. Psycho Cupid is equally lacking in melody, but I prefer it, and this trick of talking the lyrics over a discordant backing track is something the Tindersticks would pull off well too. Hard To Be Human Again is the most punk of all the songs on the record, and there's a constant sense that things could break down at any moment, as Greenhalgh sings of social alienation. Darkness & Doubt has a similar ramshackle feel, its references (from John Wayne to T. Rex) seemingly incoherent. Side 2 is outstanding, from Flitcraft to Lost Highway. Abernant 1984/85 is a rousing song about the Welsh miners striking against pit closures, while Last Dance is one of the standout tracks on the album, with its wonderful fiddle playing and little bursts of positivity ("so beautiful, you were waltzing / little frozen rivers all covered with snow") among the general sense of mourning ("all fragmented and broken up"). Lost Highway is a wonderful finale, as the Mekons channel hillbilly legend Hank Williams, with a cover that pays its respects but also adds several electric guitars to the mix to create a sense of organised chaos, as Jon Langford sings in his weary way of "rollin' down that lost highway".
The University of Leeds was the breeding ground for not just one notable post-punk band (Go4) but two in the late 70s. Starting out as a DIY lo-fi act, the Mekons evolved significantly in terms of line-up and sound and, by the time of Fear & Whiskey's release in 1985, their emphasis was much more on folk and country. Some musicologists claim they were the forerunners of alt-country, and you can hear the mix of indie rock and country music on songs like Darkness & Doubt, but punk and English folk are equally important elements in their sound. Given their strong anti-capitalist leanings, it was brave and original for the Mekons to incorporate country music at all, given its right-wing associations in America. In doing so, they helped to free country from its political context and claim it as their own. Side 1 of the LP is the more experimental, while side 2 is the more enjoyable as it's when the band really soar. The opening track, Chivalry, has that shambolic feel that would characterise other bands like the Pogues at the time, as Tom Greenhalgh sings about despair and late-night boozing against the backdrop of a mournful violin sound.
Trouble Down South may be enough to put some people off listening to this record, but it's important to plough on through. Psycho Cupid is equally lacking in melody, but I prefer it, and this trick of talking the lyrics over a discordant backing track is something the Tindersticks would pull off well too. Hard To Be Human Again is the most punk of all the songs on the record, and there's a constant sense that things could break down at any moment, as Greenhalgh sings of social alienation. Darkness & Doubt has a similar ramshackle feel, its references (from John Wayne to T. Rex) seemingly incoherent. Side 2 is outstanding, from Flitcraft to Lost Highway. Abernant 1984/85 is a rousing song about the Welsh miners striking against pit closures, while Last Dance is one of the standout tracks on the album, with its wonderful fiddle playing and little bursts of positivity ("so beautiful, you were waltzing / little frozen rivers all covered with snow") among the general sense of mourning ("all fragmented and broken up"). Lost Highway is a wonderful finale, as the Mekons channel hillbilly legend Hank Williams, with a cover that pays its respects but also adds several electric guitars to the mix to create a sense of organised chaos, as Jon Langford sings in his weary way of "rollin' down that lost highway".
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