The Mekons could have easily ridden out an entire career off the energy of their grimy start in the Leeds art-school scene. Instead, when they started anew following a brief hiatus in the early '80s, frontman and co-founder Jon Langford chose to train their gaze across the pond, led by the spirit guides of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. Their next album, 1985’s Fear and Whiskey, didn’t just execute a brilliant and unlikely-seeming stylistic merger, it ushered in a whole new generation of imitators, acolytes, and even icons.
Langford's continued interest in Americana has produced several Chicago-based side projects, as well: There's Pine Valley Cosmonauts, a revolving door of tributes covers for artists like Cash and Bob Wills, and then there's the Waco Brothers, a heavier group with a more deliberate populist pulse. Following a decade of dalliances—a covers album and B-sides collection here, a collaboration with songwriter Paul Burch there—the latter band’s returned with Going Down in History, their first studio LP since 2005’s Freedom and Weep and a tight (if occasionally underwhelming) set of aggressive heartland rock.
Twenty years on, the Bros’ grizzled sonics are set. Opener "DIYBYOB," set off by Dean "Deano" Schlabowske's throaty twang and clattering axe, immediately brings us back into familiar territory. Therein lies the genius of Schlabowske's first line: "This is the first track from the last album/ No one knows which way this ship will head." Depending on your interpretation, the lyric could be a knowing wink to the same ol’-same ol’ of the band’s chosen style, a masochistic joke, or even a tongue-in-cheek resignation—either way, it adds a crucial twist to an otherwise straightforward bit of songcraft.
Indeed, playfulness abounds on Going Down in History. For a reflection on the dead-end determinism of the status quo, "Building Our Own Prison" proves downright chipper, with an onomatopoeiac, syncopated hook (a spirited "Click clack clackety-clack," right on the beat of the jagged fretwork). Meanwhile, "We Know It" offers an all-purpose anthem for, well, anything; Langford’s croons of "We know it when we see it/ We know it by its name" could stand in for God, the Devil, or the mold beneath your kitchen tiles.
It’s not all fun and games, though—political disillusionment and hand-wringing reflections of the working class remain a perennial concern for the Waco Brothers, and the pervading outsider’s perspective resonates strongly in a tumultuous campaign season. Going Down in History may not mark a sea change for Langford and company, but between the humor, the honky-tonk, and the affable, full-bodied sound, it’s an awesome chance to catch up.
