Natural (The Mekons album)
Natural is an album by The Mekons.[10][11] It was released on 21 August 2007 by Quarterstick Records.[12]
Natural | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 August 2007 | |||
Genre | Post-punk, Alternative country | |||
Length | 46:15 | |||
Label | Quarterstick Records[1] | |||
The Mekons chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77%[2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The A.V. Club | B-[4] |
Robert Christgau | B+[5] |
musicOMH | [6] |
Pitchfork Media | 7.9/10[7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | [9] |
Production
The album was recorded in four days in the Lake District, England, the band's first album to be recorded in their homeland in 16 years.[13] Tom Greenhalgh and Jon Langford were the only original Mekons to play on the album.[14]
Critical reception
PopMatters wrote that the band "turn the volume down, break out the wooden instruments and craft haunting, bone-clinking songs about mortality."[12] Spin wrote that the Mekons are "at their red-eyed best here, skirting the edges of chaos on ragged-but-right tunes like the harmonica-fueled tall tale 'The Old Fox' and the fractured reggae shuffle 'Cockermouth.'”[15] Exclaim! called Natural "a stirring folk punk record that recalls the organic eclecticism of the Clash's Sandinista!"[14]
Track listing
- "Dark Dark Dark" – 4:57
- "Dickie Chalkie and Nobby" – 3:05
- "The Old Fox" – 3:50
- "White Stone Door" – 3:58
- "Shocking Curse Bird" – 2:41
- "Give Me Wine or Money" – 3:19
- "Diamonds" – 4:06
- "Burning in the Desert Burning" – 3:44
- "The Hope and the Anchor" – 3:36
- "Cockermouth" – 5:03
- "Zeroes and Ones" – 3:47
- "Perfect Mirror" – 4:19
- "Old Fox Lu Version" (mp3 only bonus track)
References
- "Natural | Mekons | Touch and Go / Quarterstick Records". www.touchandgorecords.com.
- "Natural by Mekons" – via www.metacritic.com.
- "Natural - The Mekons | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- "Mekons: Natural". Music.
- "Robert Christgau: Album: The Mekons: Natural". robertchristgau.com.
- "Mekons - Natural | Album Reviews". August 19, 2007.
- "Mekons: Natural". Pitchfork.
- "The Mekons: Natural : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". May 14, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14.
- "Music Review: Mekons - Natural". Tiny Mix Tapes.
- "The Mekons | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- "At 30, Mekons still making believers out of doubters". chicagotribune.com.
- "The Mekons: Natural". PopMatters. August 22, 2007.
- "Natural's in it: The Mekons celebrate 30 years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- "Mekons Natural". exclaim.ca.
- "Mekons, 'Natural' (Quarterstick)". Spin. September 26, 2007.