It’s been pretty quiet ’round the parlor since the Mekons passed through on their 30th Anniversary tour a few years back… nothing from the Meeks proper, and where are Sally and Rico and all the rest with their solo albums? Even Jon Langford, the closest thing to a workaholic among the Meeks, seemed to have left the Waco Brothers out on the byways. So listening to Old Devils is like having an old friend drop by unexpectedly.
Under the aegis of Jon Langford and Skull Orchard, the music is closer to Langford’s ’98 solo album, Skull Orchard, and to the alt.country Wacos than to comic, cosmic Mekons. Too bad, but still, Langford remains a rock’n’roll treasure who while Chicago based, is still Welsh enough to appreciate Tom Jones; a first-gen British punk who can still crack a whip. Old Devils is tight, fun, and tuneful. Glad to have this old devil aboard.
Tulip Frenzy 