A lot of their fans think Leeds, England's Mekons are the best band in the world. Unfortunately for the band, a much larger group has never even heard of them. Rarely has a worthy band been so cursed with bad distribution. Most of the Mekons' early work, evolving from 1977 to the mid-80's from superabrasive punk to country-rock, was available only on imported albums. Their more recent music, veering back to punk with offshoots into fields like reggae, "art rock" and house, has been available on U.S. record labels, but the label changes with every album. In the past three years, the Mekons have been signed and dropped by four record companies.
Recorded in the summer of 1992 and released in October, I (heart) Mekons finds the band returning to what they do best. Musically the Mekons have returned to cowpunk, albeit a higher tech version of what they were doing in 1985, blending fiddles and electric guitars to create a mix more fascinating than anything coming out of Nashville these days. Lyrically, the songs have departed from anti-music industry/political musings for another stab at the Mekons' greatest theme - the fucked-up things we do to each other in the name of love. Constant touring has really tightened up the group's instrumental prowess, and lead chanteuse Sally Timm's vocals keep getting more and more perfect. If Hank Williams had been born 30 years later, he wouldn't sound like Garth Brooks today. He'd be playing guitar with the Mekons. (Pat Anders)