MECCA NORMAL
– “Malachi”/”Blue Sky and Branches”
When
I learned that Mecca Normal was going to put out a new single I was definitely
interesting and managed to get one as soon as I could. “Malachi” is a remembrance of the lat
activist/musician Malachi Ritscher, who died of self-immolation in 2003 as an
act of protest to the current fiasco in Iraq.
Using just clean toned guitar and vocals,
this duo paints a picture of life, death, and frustration in regards to the war
machine and public apathy. The flip side
(“Blue Sky & Branches”) is a more driving song infused by pun k angst and
built on a bed of overdriven guitar and piano.
In both cases the songs manage to paint a picture in regards to the
human condition, exploring the things that most people would rather not see and
forcing the listener to think about it with music that’s experimental, yet
somewhat hook driven and familiar. For over 25 years Mecca Normal has taken the
punk ethos and reinvented it on their terms; this single continues in that
proud tradition. (BOONE)
(K Records. Box 7154.
Olympia, WA
98507 krecs.com)