Customer Reviews

The Curse of the Mekons/F.U.N. '90

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Mekons tell it like it is. The bleak message of Curse of the Mekons is not the snide cynicism of so much of the "alternative" music of recent years. Rather, it's a ringing condemnation of the erosion of human values as the capitalist and technological machine of modern life marches onwards. The Mekons must have tapped a very raw nerve indeed to make this record. I think the mood is summarized best on "Sorcerer": "miraculous and magical / his world is also demonic / terrifying, swinging / wildly out of control".

Musically, this is one of their best efforts. "Wild and Blue" is beautiful and poignant. "Secrets" and "Nocturne" are dark and enigmatic. "Lyric" is incredibly anguished. "100% Song" is irreverant and witty. Strains of country and folk are much in evidence.

This edition also contains the EP "Fun '90": although almost impossible to categorize, it somehow makes a fitting companion to Curse.

"Magic, fear and superstition, this is the curse of the Mekons." So begins this stellar 1991 follow-up to the brilliant, but doomed-to-obscurity "The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll." Here, the band slows the tempo while losing none of their hard-won cynicism about the music business. Gems abound: the accordion/guitar driven "The Curse," Sally Timms' galactic cowgirl turns on "Wild & Blue," the lovely sneer called "Brutal." If you don't know them, please turn in your credentials as a hipster and enjoy your Dave Matthews CDs. Comes with the fun "Fun '90" EP, complete with weird vocal by Lester Bangs and heartfelt Band cover.

Part of the Mekons mythology is that despite being a band beloved by critics, they nevertheless fail to achieve commercial or popular success. This is an incredible album. (Why? Great voices (Tom, Sally), guitars, cynical political lyrics, a good range of style, creaky instruments in the background which add humor, depth and humanity to the foreground clash of stadium rock with punk). Presumably me saying so only dooms them to greater failure. Somehow, although I can assure you that this is one of the great rock records of all time, you, in reading this, will be convinced not to purchase it, although you had been leaning towards doing so. This is the theory of the Curse of the Mekons. But is it the Mekons who are cursed or cursing?

The Curse....That mainstream 'punk' and 'trendy hipster rock' lose their hold on you, and you don't even fit in with that type of "talk about the weather" anymore.

The Curse that you start thinking about things that could only upset your current 'applecart' and make you more of an outcast, than you already are :-) haha.

This record took me 5 listens to make it my Favorite Mekons Record. I must say, the Mekons have become my favorite band, through much listening and digestion.

Mekons Rock n Roll was my favorite, but with this album, every song is strong and unique and the last 3 closers, tracks 10,11,12 are the best cuts on the album, for 3 totally different reasons, in my opinion of course.

After that, tracks 13-16 are the Fun '90 Album, Mekons Dance tunes. Fun to listen to in the car, I like the closing track, #16, the best of the 4 tracks.

When I think real punk music, I think Mekons. I love Mekons!!!!!!!!!

The Mekons again display their amazing talent. "Wild and Blue" is amazing.

On 1989s Rock N Roll the Mekons were bearing the germ of rock n' roll through the Berlin Wall, but by 1991 the East Bloc had collapsed and leaving our heroes to stew in the detritus of a post-Cold War ideological wake of magic, fear, and superstition, numbing themselves with themselves with narcotics and whatever else the boffins could synthesize, reaching backwards to country, forward to an imagined apocalypse, and preserving in memory the whole long dull story of corruption while the victors queued to dance on socialisms grave. Being on the losing end never sounded so good.