Mecano: Titled 1990

 

Mecano are really one of new wave's obscure treasures. Hailing from Holland, and with only a

few recordings and some live appearances in the late 70s and the early 80s, Mecano are considered today one of new wave's most original and rare bands, whereas the existing copies of their vinyl records are sold at high prices as collectors' items. But before moving on with the songs included here, it should be better to start from the beginning, since RETITLED is and at the same time is not a "proper" studio release.
                    

After releasing a punk debut single in 1978 for the Dutch indie No fun label ("Face cover face/Fools"), Mecano founding member and frontman/leader Dirk Polak found himself moving away from the rapidly forming punk scene of the time and looking forward to explore new territory, inspired by his

Marxist background and his tendency to create romantic lyrics. With Ton Lebbink as a drummer, they set out seeking members–which was easy, as Lebbink knew people and bands at the scene. Soon the lineup was completed with the brothers Tejo and Cor Bolten and Pieter Kooyman. Debuting live in 1979 and after a long period of composing and rehearsing in late 1979-1980, the band entered studio and an output of vinyls was the result: the 7'' "Escape the human myth/History Landmarked" and the band's first two 12''s, "Untitled" and "Subtitled", all released by the Dutch Torso label.
               

In the meantime, the band's eccentric blend of new wave, social lyrics and romanticism began to leave

its mark, and their touring increased, along with the demand for more copies of their work. Hence, in 1981, Torso released "Entitled" in the United States in collaboration with a local indie label. In the same year, another 7'' reaches the public: "Robespierre Re-Marx/Room for two", demonstrating the band's fevered political stance, always in perfect match with beautiful melodies and amazing results.
                      

The album itself opens with the band's track, "Meccano". Following a nearly 2-minute introduction, its pulsating guitar riff and drum entrance create an edgy mood, mid tempo but always ready to explode, before Dirk starts singing in his now legendary voice, occasional eerie keyboards adding color to the

sound and making the whole experience more intense. From the very first song, the listener is absorbed in the band's amazing guitar riffs, the lead melodies, the eccentric mix of the rhythm section and the keyboards, the vocals, and of course the lyrics:"there are just shadows and silhouettes, turning geometrical pirouettes, hole instead of heart, now i am part, to the world of meccano". The images of alienation and hidden political messages covered with the symbolism of meccano, which is a Lego-like toy ised in the 1930s and considered by parents as both a fun toy and an educational game for children (?!).
                   
"Permanent revolt" sets the pace in a slower tempo, with lots of start-stop tricks and the guitar layers creating the unsettling mood, as a canvas for Polak's red-hot lyrics, exploring the theme of "minority-majority" and the question of the social limits of constant upheaval, a subject of great debate between              

Troskyism and supporters of the Soviet Union…the lyrics may seem dated to some, or too opinionated,

since the song ends under Polak's suggestion to "rebuild the society after a model of soviets", and this is something Polak himself brought up in a 2002 retrospective interview, but the real point is the overall mood of the song, and how convincing its music-lyrics persona is. And in that case, it works perfectly. The rest, is the cursed heritage of the (revolutionary) Left. But that's another story with a lot of psychotherapy.
                      

"Escape the human myth" shifts mood, and cleverly done so. After a slower, more somber song exploring the themes of upheaval and political struggle within a divided society, Mecano offer a more

straightforward composition, musically and lyrically. The guitars crank up the amps, the synthesizer enters exactly when necessary to create a sense of threat, the drumming is precise to the bone and Polak adjusts his voice perfectly. Lyrically? Aggressive criticism, social and correct. Excellent! "Dissident lament" is a more complex song. Without losing none of the power it carries within the double guitars' chord game and lead-rhythm roles exchange, it shifts tempos and maintains a stable pace at the same time, allowing Polak to take the listener into his own thoughts, once more…
               

The first side ends with the band's possibly best song, the masterpiece of "Untitled". Based on the Soviet "poet of the revolution" Mayakovsky's lyrics, the songs unfolds as gentle "soft voice upon guitar

line" lament, only to enter the rhythm section as a slow galloping vehicle, offering a start-stop game including some nice touches of accordion, played by Polak himself. "I know the power of words, I know the toxin of words"…"but the word gallops, its saddle girth tightened, it rings through the ages and trains creep nearer to lick..poetry's toil-hardened hands". Simply perfect, and needless of me to describe such a masterpiece. It is not new wave, or dark, or gothic, or punk. It simply great music.
                        

The second side opens with the more energetic "Note of a stroll in spring", taking its time before the vocals enter as the guitars once more take on some memorable lines and lead melodies. Continuing with "In still life", an amazing ballad, the mood becomes depressive again, and the entrance of

keyboards in the middle of the song is a nice touch that refreshes the song and carries along to the somber ending. Perfect again. "Links" is probably a song most people have heard from its extensive playing in gothic clubs. It is one of the few songs of Mecano that feature in modern setlists but it is a frequent one, so I guess most have already heard it, and danced to it, and it's not hard to see why: its pumping guitar muscles, the uptempo beat, Polak's excellent singing, everything points over to a should-have-been new wave anthem. Better late than never, I suppose.
                       

The album goes on with the more experimental guitar-keyboard lines of "Room for two". It is a song that fits more as a B-side than a proper album song, due to its slower, gentler tone and experimentation.

The single's songs are perfect too. The synthesized version of "Robespierre" is actually creepier and more impressive than the more traditional, guitar-driven one. The lyrics, a criticism into the 1930s political course of the Soviet Union and the parallel comparison of the French revolution and the Great Terror, are a delight to read and their listening experience over layers of icy keyboards and drum machine is really incredible.
                        

"History landmarked" begins with an attack on the clergy and the nobles and all conservative institutions. An insight at the role and the "acceptance" of a revolutionary figure within such social

institutions, the song builds an atmosphere upon its grinding bass lines, keyboard loops and ever-present percussion. An excellent b-side, to be sure. Mecano's fate was not to last long. In 1982 the band suffers the first split. They return in 1983 without Pieter Kooyman and Lebbink and record their next studio album, AUTOPORTRAIT, which features Kooyman in 2 songs. The ender, "To life's reunion" is lyrically full of hints about the band's permanent split, which came shortly afterwards… "fatigue of metal"..
                      

Mecano – Titled
Label: Coma Records – COM 6010, Divine – COM 6010 CD
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue
Country: France
Released: 1990
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Art Rock

TRAXS

                                        

01. Mecano    5:37
02. Permanent Revolt    4:03
03. Escape The Human Myth    3:27
04. Dissident Lament    4:30
05. Untitled    5:02
06. Note Of A Stroll In Spring    5:11
07. In Still Life    4:22
08. Links    5:57
09. Room For Two    5:32
10. Robespierre Re-Marx    2:23
11. History Landmarked    4:56
12. Besprizorni    5:01
13. To Life's Reunion    2:34

Mecano on Urban Aspirines HERE

MP3 @ 320 Size: 140 MB
Flac  Size: 364 MB