Ancient & Modern 1911–2011

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
Released2011
GenreFolk rock
Length45:33
LabelBloodshot
Producer
  • Walter Jaquiss
  • the Mekons
The Mekons chronology
Natural
(2007)
Ancient & Modern 1911–2011
(2011)
Jura
(2015)

Production

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Ancient & 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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Robert ChristgauA−[11]
Pitchfork6.6/10[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

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Ancient & Modern 1911–2011 track listing
No.TitleLength
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

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  1. ^ Kot, Greg (18 September 2011). "Tinariwen, Mekons among most-anticipated shows". Arts + Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 12.
  2. ^ Bevan, Nathan (16 July 2011). "Choir breathes new life into ex-punk singer's 'angry' album". Western Mail. Cardiff.
  3. ^ de Rubio, Dave Gil (7 October 2011). "Mekons/Chris Mills". Entertainment News. Long Island Press.
  4. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (26 October 2014). "The Cult Band That Keeps on Chugging". The New York Times. p. AR18.
  5. ^ Korman, Ken (18 March 2016). "Review: Revenge of the Mekons". Events. Gambit. New Orleans.
  6. ^ Gallo, Phil (17 September 2011). "Ancient & Modern". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 33. p. 40.
  7. ^ Soults, Franklin (17 July 2015). "Extreme close-up: The Mekons' unconventional story gets a boost". The Boston Globe. p. G8.
  8. ^ Terrell, Steve (23 September 2011). "Also Noted". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 28.
  9. ^ Marcus, Greil (2015). Three Songs, Three Singers, Three Nations. Harvard University Press. p. 103.
  10. ^ a b Beta, Andy (October 2011). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 27, no. 9. p. 77.
  11. ^ a b "The Mekons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b Wolk, Douglas (28 September 2011). "Mekons: Ancient & Modern 1911-2011". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  13. ^ Pearlman, Mischa (27 October 2011). "Ancient And Modern 1911-2011 The Mekons". Reviews. Record Collector. No. 395.
  14. ^ a b Gross, Joe (13 October 2011). "Ancient & Modern 1911-2011". Rolling Stone. No. 1141. p. 67.
  15. ^ Kiest, Jim (25 Sep 2011). "CDs". San Antonio Express-News. p. K2.
  16. ^ Stewart, Allison (25 September 2011). "Recordings: 'Ancient and Modern' by the Mekons". The Washington Post. p. T20.
  17. ^ Aquilante, Dan (27 September 2011). "Mekons". New York Post. p. 36.
  18. ^ Gehr, Richard (28 September 2011). "The Mekons". Calendar. The Village Voice.
  19. ^ "Mekons". Chicago Tribune. 29 September 2011. p. TAB 28.