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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Fear and Whiskey

Mekons

1985

Buy At Rough Trade
Fear and Whiskey
Album Summary

Fear and Whiskey is the fourth studio album by English rock band The Mekons. It was released in 1985 and marked a dramatic shift in their sound following a short hiatus. It is universally viewed as their masterpiece by fans. It is credited as being the first alternative country album, as it blends the band's previously-established punk rock style with a country music sound. The album was initially released by Sin Records to significant critical praise and commercial success. However, due to Sin's small capacity for production and distribution, the album then remained largely unavailable until it was rereleased in 2002 by Quarterstick Records, a subsidiary of Touch and Go Records. The musical style represents a sharp break with the group's previous work, as fiddle, steel guitar, and harmonica are included, but the instrumentation of punk music is also present, particularly on the energetic "Hard to be Human Again". Tom Greenhalgh, one of the primary creative forces in the Mekons, commented that as he listened to a great deal of country music in the early 1980s "pretty soon the difference between the three chords of country and the three chords of punk became blurred." The album closes with a cover of Leon Payne's "Lost Highway". The album's lyrics describe a dark scenario of a community struggling to retain its capacity for joy and humanity through a devastating war. Rock critic Robert Christgau described it as "a sort of concept album sort of about life during wartime".

Wikipedia

Rating

2.63

Votes

12365

Genres

  • Post Punk
  • Rock

Reviews

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Oct 27 2021
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3

Utterly bizarre. Weird rambling speech over punky violins, mad subject matters. Sometimes you hear an album and you have no idea if it’s genius or madness. One star? Five? Who can tell?

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Mar 16 2022
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1

Best Song: None. Worst Song: Chivalry. What in the 8-bit cowboy is that background instrumental? Overall: I will be surprised if there is a worse vocal performance on this list. This sounds like your milquetoast colleague who always wants to go to karaoke, so you assume they must be able to sing, but when they get on stage they just start loudly talking with the music. And it's interspersed with amateur theatre? Even better. This album is one of the 1001 ways to tell that you've actually already died and you were sent to the bad place.

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Jun 06 2021
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5

So you're telling me that a British band did in 1984 what Viagra Boys did on In Spite of Ourselves in 2021, for a whole album, with copious violin, and I didn't listen to any of it until today? Put this directly in my veins, stat. I don't care if it stops holding up eventually: This is exactly for me and there's an entire discography and several relistens ahead. Fine food for my imagination.

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Apr 19 2023
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1

I'd like to think that there are hundreds of subgenres of music, and with this list being only 1001 long, the best 1-10 albums of any subgenre are represented here. If this album isn't right at the bottom of this particular subgenre then god help the rest of the albums. Jesus Christ.

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Aug 27 2021
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4

I was brought up on a diet of fear and whiskey. My old man used to beat me black and blue, then douse me in whiskey and set me alight. It was an exciting time to grow up and sculptured me into the well-rounded human I am today.

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Sep 09 2021
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2

Occasionally threatens to be really good. But sadly never materialises. Most sounds like a band failing to be interesting but succeeding at being annoying

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Aug 27 2021
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2

just not in to diddly dee punk. as soon as the fiddle turns up i lose interest. i used to play football for the bolton irish centre in the north of england celtic supporters tournament. after the football they would hire a function room and there would always be a fucking diddly dee band on and all these english people would sing along to these irish republican songs because they support a scottish football team that has something to do with ireland. all a bit weird and has probably put me off it even more. i'd like to thank buckfast for getting me through that nonsense. the americans seem to bum this kind of irish punk too. fucking history nonces.

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Aug 18 2021
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4

A British group that decides to defy expectations by laying fiddles, harmonicas, and country guitar hooks onto a punk-rock foundation should be praised and applauded when it is done as spectacularly as this. Although the war-time themes of the songs would expect you to have a brooding, dark tone, the songs are actually really fun and catchy. I never thought I would hear an album like this, it's an underrated gem. Favorite Song: Country Least Favorite Song: Psycho Cupid

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Mar 14 2021
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5

never heard of this act but really enjoyed this album. normally “british pub band” is a tough sell but it works

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Apr 14 2023
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4

Oh ya, this is right up my alley. Like the Clash but with a fiddle. Very reminiscent of The Pogues, and a slight attitude of Johnny Cash. There are a couple more strange avant garde type songs that were misses for me. But overall, this is a very fun, well written and ahead-of-its-time punk folk album. 4/5 Favorites: Chivalry, Hard to Be Human Again, Last Dance, Lost Highway Least Favorites: Trouble Down South, Psycho Cupid,

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Apr 16 2021
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4

I honestly didn’t think I’d like this one, but I did! I guess the whole country punk thing is up my alley.

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May 26 2021
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4

Actually liked this. Will need to relisten to it sometime.

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Feb 11 2021
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4

Really good album loved it lots.

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Feb 05 2021
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4

really enjoyed this. great production on the album too

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Jun 03 2021
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4

Yeah liked that. Four stars possibly just because it's new to me.

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Mar 19 2021
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4

Sons diferentes, interessantes e muito bons

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Mar 10 2021
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4

Medio punk así gracioso. Sin más.

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Dec 10 2020
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4

interesting, proboably should listen more before id give it a final rating

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Oct 05 2020
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4

A tale of 2 completely different sides to an album. The first side is decent (first song is great and Hard to be Human is very good), but the second side is quality alt-country cowpunk, and definitely worth the listen.

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Apr 04 2022
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2

Someone’s drunk uncle recorded an album of himself doing karaoke at the pub.

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Feb 27 2022
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2

One listen sufficient. There is a reason this didn't get released widely in 1985. Not shocking, but not good.

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Jul 15 2021
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2

Je tenais à m'excuser pour la faute de syntaxe que j'ai commise en rédigeant ma critique de l'album de Gainsbourg. Ça n'arrivera plus.

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Jun 05 2023
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5

Loved it. one of those albums you can't explain why :)

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Dec 22 2022
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5

I knew nothing of this album...or band...went in cold. And... I think I reaaaaaally like this. Added the whole album to my playlist. A weird mix of British Punk and folk/country meets a early David Lynch film? I don't know...but I liked it. saying 4.5 but giving it 5 stars.

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Aug 04 2022
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5

im literally obsessed with this album, the clamor! the fiddle!! 10/10 i liked every song on the album 😔

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Aug 04 2022
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5

This caught me by surprise. The singer is rarely on pitch and the drum machine is overbearing. Somehow it is post c&w and post punk at the same time. Yet there is a ton of charm here and I love it for its sheer creativity and effort.

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Jul 20 2022
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5

It’s Cowpunk—what else could you want?

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Jan 13 2022
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5

Really good album. Country elements are strong and not half-assed. Musicianship is top notch, and the lyrics were good but hard to follow. This album was a joy.

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Feb 02 2023
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4

This had me reaching for so much other music as so many 80's & 70's elements (XTC, Police, even They might be giants, early Pulp). So thanks for the discovery, that's why I'm here!

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Apr 29 2021
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4

Muss ich nochmal an einem ruhigen Abend mit Whiskey hören aber gehört definitiv schon zu meinen persönlichen Neuentdeckungen.

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Feb 24 2023
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3

I normally don't like this type of music, but this one is just sloppy enough to appeal to me. It's closer to Meat Puppets and The Waterboys than it is from The Pogues or whatever, which is a good thing.

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May 29 2024
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2

There were a couple brief moments where a song would start to trend towards being not completely awful. Or maybe it was when I just couldn't be bothered to pay attention

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Jun 27 2021
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2

I like the early stuff from the mekons more. I found this to be a bit of a chore even with the short runtime. Don't dig the folksier arrangements.

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May 20 2024
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1

The info for this album said it was punk & country. Just because you suck at making music doesn’t make you a punk band. Really thought the bad fake American accents were a really great touch.

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Mar 10 2024
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1

I think they just gave some microphones and instruments to a bunch of random people in the underground at 2 am and hit record. The "singers" might have some ideas about what notes are supposed to sound like, but I'm not entirely sure. At first I thought they opened with the worst song on the album, but somehow it just kept getting worse.

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Mar 08 2024
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1

Woof. The vocals in this first song are atrocious. If the rest of the album follows suit, this is going to be a tough one to finish. "Hard to be Human Again" was a welcome change in the sound once it started playing. Not my favorite type of music, but seems like it's much more in this band's wheelhouse. The rest of the album had a couple of other spots that piqued my ears a bit, but it was overall a relief to finish the album and move on to something better - I think there's a very good reason that some of the songs had less than 7K plays on YouTube Music.

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Feb 14 2024
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1

just because an album is weird, doesn't mean it should be on this list. all the elements are decent enough but they do not work together at all. the singer is especially terrible, no singing, just talking and raising or lowering his volume occasionally

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Oct 12 2023
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1

You have to be pretty into British New Wave to find this band, and it shows. Probably a good deep cut for someone into that scene, but not for the average listener.

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Jan 25 2023
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1

Kinda sounded like Fred Armisen doing an 80s uk punk band skit

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Aug 04 2022
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1

Sounds like Morrissey, terrible.

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Dec 18 2024
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5

Man oh man. So back in the 90s, I used to listen to a band, Too Much Joy, with a song called "If I Were A Mekon." Back then, I didn't know what a Mekon was, and I knew I wasn't quite as cool as Too Much Joy. But now I have heard The Mekons. And I'm not a Mekon. So I can't say I'm cooler than TMJ. But I too wish I was a Mekon and so maybe I'm now on par.

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Nov 15 2024
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5

Country and punky and gritty. Love it!

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Oct 28 2024
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5

British Pop-Punk-Country Twang fusion thing. Cool! I like it. Sometimes reminds me a little of The Clash or maybe The Pouges (but better). Some songs have a sea chanty or maybe an Irish Trad sound. I didn't care for the two spoken word songs but the rest was great! Cool find. Never heard of them before and hope to hear more.

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Oct 28 2024
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5

I kinda love the country / punk rock fusion and also how obviously British they are. Totally dig the fiddle too. Though a bit strange and a little messy and chaotic at times, it all just works somehow. I’m a fan!

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Sep 20 2024
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5

Mekons go country, which just means another great Mekons album, 80s classic. score: 10/10.

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Jan 25 2024
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5

Oha, was ist das denn? Interessant, originell, kein 0815-Sound, also toll!

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Jan 15 2024
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5

A pioneering cowpunk album that may well be the birth of alt country and I love the synth drums.

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Nov 23 2023
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5

9/10 absolutely wonderful I truly adored this

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May 14 2023
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5

I really enjoyed this, it’s weird and I haven’t heard much like it, which makes me like it more! Adding punk influence to any other music genre makes an album sound like heaven to me. Fav songs: Psycho Cupid, Darkness and Doubt, Last Dance Least fav songs: I liked them all

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Dec 23 2024
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4

Never heard of this. I might be crazy for giving this 4 stars, but it kind of grew on me as it went on. At first I was annoyed by the intentionally off-key discordant stuff. I'd call it the Cure meets Dexi's Midnight Runners.

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Dec 08 2024
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4

Ended up better than I expected. Will I listen to again: 65%

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Nov 04 2024
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4

Took a few songs to get into the swing of it but by the end I was very much on-board with what they were doing. Helps that the penultimate song 'Last Dance' is an absolute rager, 10/10. Feels like something that could really grow on me over time, post-punky country, a rarity for sure (check out The Gun Club).

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Nov 02 2024
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4

I liked this! I like anything that mixes genres together and comes out with something as smooth as this. Wikipedia calls this alternative rock and alternative country, but I heard traces of Britpop, new wave, and post-punk in there, too. Would listen again!

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Nov 01 2024
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4

Overall a decent album. Its lyrics had deep meaning, talking about life during war. Its music was a mix of rock and country, and making it sound very nice. Overall I would reccomend giving this album a try.

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Nov 01 2024
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4

Do you like upbeat songs? If so, this album is for you! I can't understand what the lead singer is saying at all tough. But that's okay because the background music makes up for it! I recommend that you listen to this album.

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Oct 30 2024
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4

At first this was kind of a meh album, but about halfway through it clicked and I realized this album is amazing. 9/10

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Oct 28 2024
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4

I kind of dug this album. Each song was fun and different and I really liked that. I didn't like Psycho Cupid and was worried where the album might go from there but it stayed on a good course. I really liked Last Dance and Lost Highway. They all were different but had a flare that let me know they were all the same band.

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Oct 18 2024
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4

8/10. Great stuff. Was leaning 7 but ended strong for an 8.

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Oct 17 2024
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4

Ooh I loved this! Was listening to Plowing Into the Field of Love by Iceage recently, which is one of my all time fav albums, and was looking into this Cowpunk genre, which I think is such a cool sound, and this scratched that same itch!

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Oct 13 2024
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4

I thought this would be cooler based on the description. If I had gone in blind I probably would've liked it.

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Sep 29 2024
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4

Wonderfully weird and fun, with "Chivalry" and "Darkness and Doubt" and "Psycho Cupid" among the best cut. Full marks for originality and executing with a sense of humor and context.

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Sep 25 2024
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4

I had never heard of this band, but I enjoyed this all the way through. If you’re into talking heads, velvet underground, devo and the like, I bet you’ll like this too.

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Sep 16 2024
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4

I like this more than I dislike this. It’s kinda like the Pogues but a little toned down. Which makes it less good, they should have leaned into it more. I dunno. Some of the songs were very catchy and I’d listen to them again

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Sep 06 2024
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4

It seems quite unremarkable but I did really enjoy listening to it

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Sep 04 2024
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4

Den här plattan behöver de inte skämmas för.

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Jul 25 2024
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4

It was a fun listen. New wave, post-punk and folk mixed together, in a way that it somehow worked together.

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Jul 15 2024
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4

fear and whiskey mekons 1985 1. chivalry: 7/10 2. trouble down south: 5/10 3. hard to be a human again: 7.5/10 4. darkness and doubt: 7/10 5. psycho cupid- danceband on the edge of time: 4.5/10 6. flitcraft: 7.5/10 7. country: 7/10 8. Abernant 1984/5: 8/10 9. last dance: 8/10 10. lost highway: 7/10 overall rating: 6.9/10

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Jul 08 2024
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4

Though it was gonna be full country

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Jul 01 2024
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4

This was a strange one, a twisted mess of genres that was so different, it really stood out to me. I don't think all of the rock/ country mash up worked, but it was funky and cool anyway. My favorite was definitely Darkness and Doubt.

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Jun 26 2024
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4

The Mekons are a name I have heard and read about but never actually listened to. The first few bars of the opening track had me worried I was doing to listen to synth folk so I was pleasantly surprised when it properly kicked in. One going on the listen again pile

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May 31 2024
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4

Alltaf gaman að kynnast einhverju nýju. Hafði aldrei heyrt um Mekon. Mjög skemmtileg plata og á eftir að kíkja betur á tónlistina þeirra.

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May 13 2024
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4

Just an overall cool album that some folks hold up as the first alt-country album. Much different from the 90s version of alt country, but it's easy to see how this album serves as a bridge between post punk and country. The songs are really fun, and they vary a lot from song to song 4/5

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May 10 2024
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4

Excellent, a great surprise, reminded me of the Pogues and the Clash combined.

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May 10 2024
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4

I really enjoyed this; found it quite haunting and will definitely listen again.

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May 01 2024
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4

Not bad, I liked the music but it didn’t really convince me. Something is missing here. But the ideas are quite good

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Apr 29 2024
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4

4.1 - Down the street from my old Brooklyn apartment was this late-night takeout spot with a raggedy yellow awning called the "Happy Taco." Its Chinese proprietors served up Mexican and Chinese basics, and mashed up both cuisines liberally. For example, it wasn't uncommon to order a quesadilla and find it made with rice papers instead of tortillas. Another pleasant surprise was when they gave you pork fried rice with your adjoining refried beans instead of the yellow rice that's more traditional. Despite the cultural incongruities, I liked their food -- it always hit the spot after a night of drinking. The Mekons have approached country music in a way that feels similar to how the "Happy Taco" interprets Mexican food. There's little reverence for tradition, or cultural norms. Sure, there may be whiffs of country elements on here (e.g., fiddling and bluesy guitar picking). But mostly, they smear on their own post-rock sounds, creating something messy, sometimes confusing, and overall quite compelling. Oh, and to make this record even weirder, they throw in a few spoken word asides (see "Psycho Cupid...").

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Apr 11 2024
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4

Absolutely loved this! Country meets Velvet Underground in northern England.

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Apr 04 2024
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4

This album had me so conflicted. There were points that I wasn’t really sure about this album and then there were other points where I said to myself “this album is a masterpiece.” All the interlaying sounds work together in such a way that I could see people giving up on it by giving it just a surface listen but the further I got the more I understood it. “Trouble down south” was my favorite track.

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Mar 24 2024
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4

Medio punk así gracioso. Sin más.

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