Relax With Mekon

Former Throbbing Gristle man John Gosling’s logical and mature progression from his Welcome To Tackletown debut is brimming with guests and obvious hits. Shawn Lee adds an ethereal quality to the opening title track’s surf-pop beats, before Roxanne Shanté reminds us why she was the Queen MC a decade ago on the cruelly overlooked single ‘What’s Goin’ On’. Marc Almond guests on two tracks – ‘Out Of My Soul’ is atmospheric and orchestral; ‘Please Stay’ a Spector-esque smash that just has to be a Christmas single. From Wall Of Sound? And why not?

Mekon shows pop is not beneath him on the Jacques Le Cont co-produced electro-bopper ‘Eurostar’: lots of funky slap bass and eighties stylings throughout. Other highlights include ‘Calm Gunshot’ (Leslie Winer’s sleazy vox made for the lazy slo-mo beats), ‘Irregular’ (dark skanking rhythms topped with Major’s gruff toasting) and ‘Everywhere’ (a guitar-fest that opens with Mullen-esque beats, like a U2/Eno collaboration until the fuzz guitars, scratching and rock solo creep in). Diversity is the key here; Mekon holding your attention from start to finish with an array of styles all perfectly produced and sitting very comfortable along side each other.