Ancient & Modern 1911–2011 is an album by the band the Mekons, released in 2011.[1][2] They claimed that it was their 26th album.[3] A film, Revenge of the Mekons, released in 2014, chronicled the recording of the album and subsequent British tour, with the track "Afar & Forlorn" documented from its composition to its recording to its live rendering.[4][5]
| Ancient & Modern 1911–2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 45:33 | |||
| Label | Bloodshot | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| The Mekons chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editAncient & Modern 1911–2011 was produced by Walter Jaquiss and the band.[6] Jon Langford considered the album to be about the development of the "horrors" of the 20th century.[7] Some of its songs describe life in the United Kingdom before and during World War I.[8] "Geeshie" uses the melody of Geeshie Wiley's "Last Kind Words".[9] The title track is sung as a sea shanty.[10]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Robert Christgau | A−[11] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10[12] |
| Record Collector |   [13] |
| Rolling Stone |  [14] |
| Spin |   [10] |
The San Antonio Express-News called the album "a folk-rock There's a Riot Going On."[15] The Washington Post labeled it "a thorny mix of antiquey folk, squalling punk and Weimar-era cabaret".[16] The New York Post praised the "happily Gothic pre-jazz vibe" of "Geeshie".[17] Rolling Stone considered Ancient & Modern 1911–2011 "meaty and grizzled folk rock", writing that "the title track is almost a play on nostalgia's seductive power".[14]
The Village Voice deemed it "another masterful bricolage of styles that plays on British historical resonances from across the last century."[18] The Chicago Tribune noted the "sense of anarchic despair and artistic wonder."[19] Pitchfork stated that the Mekons still sound "prickly, jovial, boozy, resistant to the bourgeois pleasures of rhyme and tune but sometimes seduced by them anyway."[12] Robert Christgau admired "the ingrained musicality of a bunch of jokers who've evolved into a sonic organism even though they never see each other anymore".[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warm Summer Sun" | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Space in Your Face" | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Geeshie" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "I Fall Asleep" | 5:04 |
| 5. | "Calling All Demons" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Ugly Bethesda" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Ancient & Modern" | 6:52 |
| 8. | "Afar & Forlorn" | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Honey Bear" | 3:21 |
| 10. | "The Devil at Rest" | 3:30 |
| 11. | "Arthur's Angel" | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 45:33 | |
References
edit- ^ Kot, Greg (18 September 2011). "Tinariwen, Mekons among most-anticipated shows". Arts + Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 12.
- ^ Bevan, Nathan (16 July 2011). "Choir breathes new life into ex-punk singer's 'angry' album". Western Mail. Cardiff.
- ^ de Rubio, Dave Gil (7 October 2011). "Mekons/Chris Mills". Entertainment News. Long Island Press.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (26 October 2014). "The Cult Band That Keeps on Chugging". The New York Times. p. AR18.
- ^ Korman, Ken (18 March 2016). "Review: Revenge of the Mekons". Events. Gambit. New Orleans.
- ^ Gallo, Phil (17 September 2011). "Ancient & Modern". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 33. p. 40.
- ^ Soults, Franklin (17 July 2015). "Extreme close-up: The Mekons' unconventional story gets a boost". The Boston Globe. p. G8.
- ^ Terrell, Steve (23 September 2011). "Also Noted". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 28.
- ^ Marcus, Greil (2015). Three Songs, Three Singers, Three Nations. Harvard University Press. p. 103.
- ^ a b Beta, Andy (October 2011). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 27, no. 9. p. 77.
- ^ a b "The Mekons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ a b Wolk, Douglas (28 September 2011). "Mekons: Ancient & Modern 1911-2011". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Pearlman, Mischa (27 October 2011). "Ancient And Modern 1911-2011 The Mekons". Reviews. Record Collector. No. 395.
- ^ a b Gross, Joe (13 October 2011). "Ancient & Modern 1911-2011". Rolling Stone. No. 1141. p. 67.
- ^ Kiest, Jim (25 Sep 2011). "CDs". San Antonio Express-News. p. K2.
- ^ Stewart, Allison (25 September 2011). "Recordings: 'Ancient and Modern' by the Mekons". The Washington Post. p. T20.
- ^ Aquilante, Dan (27 September 2011). "Mekons". New York Post. p. 36.
- ^ Gehr, Richard (28 September 2011). "The Mekons". Calendar. The Village Voice.
- ^ "Mekons". Chicago Tribune. 29 September 2011. p. TAB 28.