| Retreat from Memphis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Label | Quarterstick [1] | |||
| Producer | Ducky | |||
| The Mekons chronology | ||||
| ||||
Retreat from Memphis is an album by English band the Mekons, released in 1994. [2] [3] It followed a few years of label troubles that saw the band considering a breakup. [4] [5] The band supported the album by touring with Man or Astroman? [5]
The album was recorded in Chicago. [6] Some of its songs engaged with military motifs; many were recorded after the band had played them on a 1993 tour. [7] [8] The Mekons brought in a new drummer for the recording sessions. [9] Susie Honeyman, the band's violinist, was on maternity leave during much of the production of Retreat from Memphis. [10]
"Our Bad Dream", about the Mekons' time with Warner Bros. Records, incorporated elements of rap music. [11] [12] "Ice Rink in Berlin" was sung by Sally Timms. [13]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [16] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10 [17] |
| The Tampa Tribune | [13] |
The Washington Post wrote that "the exuberant eclecticism of the late-'80s Mekons has settled into an almost classic-rock sound, and the band's attempts to vary the sound on its new Retreat From Memphis are not inspiring." [7] Entertainment Weekly thought that the album "finds them, as usual, gleefully musing in their wry, existential style on matters ranging from amorous entanglements to global upheaval." [18] The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that "the Mekons fall back to rocking out with a neurotic, decidedly '80s post-punk edge." [11]
Spin deemed Retreat from Memphis a "stronger, more classic-sounding [comeback]." [19] The Austin American-Statesman labeled it "another album of borderline brilliance from these overeducated sociopolitical gadflies, one in which the zest of the music belies the deadpan dread of the lyrics." [20] The Chicago Tribune considered the album "one of the band's most spirited offerings of communal, life-affirming-here we go again-rock 'n' roll." [10]
AllMusic called the album "direct, straightforward, and angry in a way the Mekons had not been for quite a while." [14] The Rough Guide to Rock considered it "probably the weakest in the Mekons' catalogue." [21]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eve Future" | |
| 2. | "Lucky Devil" | |
| 3. | "Do I Know You?" | |
| 4. | "Insignificance" | |
| 5. | "His Bad Dream" | |
| 6. | "Our Bad Dream" | |
| 7. | "The Flame That Killed John Wayne" | |
| 8. | "Ice Rink in Berlin" | |
| 9. | "Spinning Round in Flames" | |
| 10. | "Machine" | |
| 11. | "Hostile Mascot" | |
| 12. | "Chemical Wedding" | |
| 13. | "Spirals of Paranoia" | |
| 14. | "Missing You All" | |
| 15. | "Submerged" | |
| 16. | "Soldier" | |
| 17. | "Never Work" |
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