From the info on the back cover, Mess Folk looks like the pet project of one guy who gets others to help him out from time to time. The songs were recorded over the course of two years, which, in combination with the variety of musicians, explains the inconsistency of this record. Side A is populated by eleven tracks, mostly no-fi garage that range from good to almost nauseating. The back side of the record plots eleven more points all over the map, going from later Big Boys type funk punk to experimental noise to straightforward Sonic Youth rock back to no-fi garage. A little quality control along with some discretion in sequencing could have made this a whole lot better, but I guess this is what you get from people who thank “drugs and insanity for their unwavering support” in their liner notes.
–Vincent (Bachelor)