Mekons, the long-running folk/punk/art rock outfit from Leeds, has recently been inspired by successful reunion tours of the USA and perhaps oddly, deserts. The groups bassist The Baron (aka Dave Trumfio) set up a new studio in Yucca Valley, CA on the outskirts of Joshua Tree and the band instantly felt inspired by the surroundings, leading to the writing and recording of their thematic new album.
The aptly titled, Deserted finds the old rabble-rousing crew in fine form. The careening opener “Lawrence of Californian” has the whole gang snarling like pirates sailing across a barren sea yelling out a sea shanty, accompanied by Jon Langford’s scratching guitars, fiddles and distortion filled ending.
Sand gets everywhere and the band includes their environmental surroundings into each and every song. For the poetic “Harar 1883” Tom Greenhalgh travels from Southern California to Ethiopia, channeling Rimbaud during his journey centuries past while the bass boom and slapping drums lead the marching “Into The Sun” with off-kilter dance grooves as worlds are found in every grain of sand.
The angular rock and more beating drums from Steve Goulding bring back the aggression for the falsehoods of “Mirage” as the sounds skitter around like random iguanas, beetles or unseen creatures before the country vein is gloriously tapped for the easy rolling “Andromeda” (lead by Susie Honeyman’s violin) and the rebirth based scenic closer “After the Rain”. Not as successful is the art rock, overlong “Weimar Vending Machine” with its dreamlike poetry that brings in everything from Iggy Pop, absconding priests and The Doors over laughing lyrics; a strange ride which is out of place with the rest of the linked tracks.
A better fit is the folk-based “How Many Stars” which looks to the massive desert night sky pondering the universe and the hereafter while the harshness of the environment is juxtaposed with gorgeous pulsing and Sally Timms singing on “In the Desert”, showcasing the layered production and cinematic scope of the record.
Deserted is a physical far cry from 2016’s Existentialism’s live on one microphone Red Hook, Brooklyn’s recording process, but the feeling of wonder, at times desperation/creativity still flow through the barren spaces and group choruses. Inspiration takes many forms and as the band pushes their way past forty active years they keep finding new ways to break sandy ground and make intriguing, engaging music.
photo by Ricky Malpas
