Ancient & Modern by the Mekons

One of the UK's pioneering punk groups, the Mekons got together in Leeds in 1977. Leader Jon Langford now calls Chicago home, and the group still produces music at a prolific pace. Ancient & Modern is the band's 26th album, and it showcases the Mekons pumping as hard as any primal punk band ("Space in Your Face"), spinning burlesque vamps worthy of the flapper era ("Geeshie") and running scrub-brushed blues through back-alley echo ("Calling All Demons"). Bruising and beautiful, it's an ambitious disc not to be missed.