Journey to the End of the Night
The Mekons have been embracing both chaos and beauty since their art-school beginnings in Leeds, England, in 1978. On their latest album, beauty is winning. Through all their changes, from 1978's amateur punk and mid-1980s country to '90s flirtations with straight indie pop, there's been a spirit of happenstance and discovery to the records. Familiar things seem new to them, like, "How did that get in there? A fiddle? Dance beats? Who'd of thought?!" The genius is making the accidents and contrasting elements fit together this well.Journey to the End of Nightis a fairly mellow, almost folksy record at times. The fiddle and acoustic instruments are front and center with the hushed singing of Sally Timms, Jon Langford, and Tom Greenhalgh butting up against the simple drums, fractured bass, and miscellaneous noisemakers. The lyrics are a high point, as always with the Mekons, with their evocative narratives and razor-sharp wit. You can trace this record's roots to their earliest efforts with the occasional discordant, scrappy guitar bit or monotone-spoken lyrics, but its greatest strength is how it combines everything they've ever done into one concise statement. It's a Mekons record for sure, and one of their best. The company this record could keep includesNick Caveminus the cartoon melodrama, a less AmericanWalkabouts,Richard Thompson,Shane MacGowan, and their own albums like 1979'sThe Quality of Mercy Is Not Strained, 1985'sFear and Whiskey, or 1991'sCurse of the Mekons.--Steve Turner