Third
album from the garage punk outsider! 12 new tunes on a 12” piece of
plastic!
Paul Messis is a man
who knows how to achieve a biting guitar tone. As a student and
aficionado of '60s US garage-punk, his attempts at re-capturing the
sounds made by mid-west teens in thrall to British Invasion bands are
pretty much unrivalled. Whether it's a biting bridge pick-up lead
break, a Byrdsian 12-string chime, or a fuzz-guitar motif inspired by
a copy of a copy of The Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction', Messis seems
to nail it each time. More than the sounds though it's the spirit of
those records he captures. That sense of being at odds with the mores
and prevailing attitudes of the times.
So much for the sonics
and spirit then but what of the subject matter? As we've come to
expect from Messis there's a similarly biting lyrical barb that
permeates this album. An attack on apathy here, a shot at
governmental failings there, and expressions of disappointment in
society's mores throughout. He's no killjoy though. Such pessimism
merely point out that Messis believes in a better world and much like
punk rock in '77, his lyrics call for more care and compassion,
beginning on a one-to-one level and resonating throughout the wider
world.
A hippy in garage-punk
clothing? Perhaps not but it's clear Messis believes in the power of
music to voice something, be it inner pain, critical diatribes
against those in power, or day-to-day dissatisfaction. At the heart
of this is a desire for communion and community. It's a thread that's
present in all Messis' solo output as well as in the records he's
made as a member of home-counties bile-punk band The Suburban Homes.
There's more to this LP
though. Evidence of more mellow and nuanced sounds than we've
previously heard on his solo LPs. 'Apathy's Calling', which closes
side one of the LP's vinyl version has a more reflective and folksy
vibe. A possible pointer to music he may make in the future, and
proof that he's as adept at introspection as he is at protest. Other
highlights include 'The Ballad Of A Strange Cat' which contains a
neat autobiographical twist, and 'Mainstream Lifestyle Blues' where
he channels his inner-Dylan and goes for that thin wild mercury
sound. 'Don't follow The Man'
also branches out into raga-psych territory.
Aside from his solo
work and The Suburban Homes Messis continues to run the small but
perfectly formed Market Square Records, specialising in limited
edition 7” singles. He's also a member of The Higher State, whose
latest album we covered here last year. It's in these solo records
that Messis is truly himself though and we're glad he finds the time
to make them.
Click here for Paul Messis.
Click here for 13 O'clock Records.
