The Mekons are celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2007 as they release
their 26th album, Natural, which to the uninitiated might sound as if
the band were bowing to the ravages of time with its relaxed tempos, emphasis
on acoustic instruments, and general reluctance to rock out in the traditional
manner. However, this overlooks the fact that the Mekons have never had
much truck with how things are "traditionally" done; the Mekons
have rarely sounded as if they were following the same musical path on
two consecutive albums, and while the aggressive stance of 2002's OOOH!
(Out of Our Heads) and 2004's Punk Rock has taken a back seat to a more
measured and subtle approach, Natural certainly fits in with the group's
great tradition of intelligent ranting. Most of Natural suggests the Mekons
sitting around the campfire, perhaps after some failed revolutionary action
has knocked out the power, singing songs that at once reflect their cynicism
and offer some faint hope for a world where either justice or cheap beer
is in ready supply. "You don't have to believe in the end,"
from "Cockermouth," is the benchmark of the album's semi-optimism;
"Dark Dark Dark," "Dickie Chalkie and Nobby," and
"Give Me Wine or Money" all offer sketches of resistance in
a world that isn't much interested in their campaign; and the closer,
"Perfect Mirror," calmly contemplates the final defeat. In the
midst of all this, the Mekons do find space for one noisy rocker, the
digital-age rant "Zeroes and Ones," while an undertow of electric
noise adds to the menace of "Dark Dark Dark," suggesting once
again that the Mekons don't put much stock in even their own self-imposed
rules. Natural is a quiet but disconcerting snapshot of a world of chaos,
which is to say it depicts a world not so different than the one that
saw the birth of the Mekons in 1977, and confirms their message has remained
constant even when their musical approach has not.
(by Mark Deming, All
Music Guide)
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