[This post and its associated comments were originally published on Cohost.]

I’m not sure whether I’ll make a habit of writing posts like this. But after importing Megan Carnes’s discography into Apple Music and seeing who came next in alphabetical order in my music collection, I got the urge to once again listen to one of the most important groups of the 1980s post-punk British music scene, Mekons.

Mekons have at least two essential records. In the first, Fear and Whiskey (released in 1985), they had the brilliant idea of combining country music with 1980s leftist post-punk. Along with Meat Puppets II (released the previous year), it’s often credited with creating the genre of alt-country.

But Mekons were (and are) much more than an alt-country band. Their genius was taking the Christian idea behind much country music, that we are all sinners living in a fallen world, and recasting it in a Marxist context, in which the original sin was the creation of capitalism. Fear and Whiskey is haunted by the failure of the 1984 coal miners’ strike (see, for example, “Darkness and Doubt”), while The Mekons Rock ’n Roll (released in 1989, and more rock than country, as the name implies) looks upon Thatcherism and Reaganism triumphant. (“Empire of the Senseless” in particular namechecks Iran-Contra and Section 28—and takes its title from Kathy Acker’s 1988 experimental novel.)

Mekons are still going strong, almost 40 years later, and have lots of albums on Bandcamp. Give one or both of these a listen, and let me know what you think!

M. Campbell (@voidmoth) - 2024-04-09 18:01

such a cool band

Frank Hecker (@hecker) - 2024-04-09 19:19

And to think, they were only one of the great bands that came out of the University of Leeds in the 1970s. (I think I’ll post about another one in the coming days.) Thanks for commenting!

[This post and its associated comments were originally published on Cohost.]

Today is Bandcamp Friday and, as promised, I got some music from our dear friend, the medic (@listeninggarden on Cohost). I went ahead and got her whole discography, including the just-released as we observed the drifting whitecaps; if I like a musician, why not get everything they’ve recorded?

I thought at the same time I’d highlight some of the other music I’d bought on Bandcamp, in case any of you are looking for ideas on what to buy today. The following are from the last seven other artists I’ve bought music from, in reverse chronological order; I’ve bought pretty much everything these people have on Bandcamp, but for brevity’s sake I’ll only list selected albums and favorite tracks:

• Heavenly, Heavenly vs Satan. Late 1980s/early 1990s indie pop. Favorite tracks: “Shallow,” “Wish Me Gone,” and “Our Love is Heavenly.”
• TRPP, TRPP. Korean shoegaze. Favorite tracks: “Pause,” “Loss.”
• NoSo, “Kaitlin.” Korean-American singer-songwriter. Their previous album is also great.
• DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ, Sabrina’s Hits #1. Outsider house. The artist I’ve listened to the most in the past two or three years. Favorite tracks (with great lo-fi YouTube videos): “Dance Now” and “Brave.”
• Rachika Nayar, fragments (expanded). I love albums of short pieces that make a statement then bow out gracefully. Favorite tracks: “parking lots,” “forgiveness,” “august 31st.”
• Tamara Valmar, “Too Many Hours.” Australian singer-songwriter. Note: their Bandcamp page is confusing, since the “Music” page shows only this release; go to their “Community” page for their other releases. (I didn’t notice this until checking links just now, so I didn’t buy anything else when I originally bought “Too Many Hours,” which is a shame because their other tracks are pretty good too. My apologies, Tamara! I’ve now remedied that oversight.) On Cohost as @tamkit.
• Polinski, Telex from MIDI City (Data111). Polinski is one-quarter of the band 65daysofstatic, one of my favorite groups. (“Remember when No Man’s Sky first came out, and it was really buggy and incomplete?” “Yeah, but the soundtrack was great!” Those guys.) On Cohost as @polinski. Favorite track: “Distant Friend I Love You.”

helleano)))r (@listeninggarden) - 2023-08-04 20:32

thank you again for your tremendous generosity and providing a spotlight for my work 💗

Frank Hecker (@hecker) - 2023-08-04 22:20

You’re quite welcome, I was happy to do it.