It's a great idea, an album to benefit the Illinois Death Penalty Moratorium Project, and who better to execute it (pun intended) than the linchpin of the Chicago
alt-country movement,
Mekons and
Waco Brother member
Jon Langford? He's reassembled the occasional
Pine Valley Cosmonauts to back a bunch of artists on tales of death, murder, and execution. There's everything from the traditional and gruesome (
"Knoxville Girl" from
Brett Sparks and a very powerful, gritty
"Tom Dooley" by
Steve Earle, as graphic as any
gangsta rap) to straight-up
country (
Johnny Paycheck's
"Pardon Me (I've Got Someone to Kill)," which these days stands almost as a parody of a
country song, albeit a chilling one), all the way to
standards (
post-punk feminist icon
Jenny Toomey on a lovely acoustic rendition of
Cole Porter's
"Miss Otis Regrets"),
punk (the
Adverts'
"Gary Gilmore's Eyes" interpreted by
Dean Schlabowske), and originals (
Johnny Dowd's
"Judgement Day," among others). It's an odd assemblage, but it hangs together very well, not just because of the thematic content, but also the intensity of the performances, like
Edith Frost's luminous
"Sing Me Back Home" or
Dianne Izzo's raw take on
"Oh Death." Apart from contributing guitar and some vocals throughout,
Langford does get a couple of moments in the spotlight, duetting on the
Dowd cut, then on
"The Plans We Made," a tale of love gone awfully wrong that he sings with fellow
Mekon Sally Timms. There's no bad cut here, although
Tony Fitzpatrick's
"Idiot Whistle" proselytizes a little too much, and
"The Hangman's Song" from
Christa Meyer and
Tim Kelley of
Puerto Muerto is just plain weird. But this album makes its points in very plain, blunt terms, and offers some excellent music along the way. If you still don't think music and politics can mix, start here. ~ Chris Nickson
