Since Jon Langford rose out of Britain's punk scene in the late Seventies with his band, the Mekons, the singer and guitarist's disdain for everything from punk-rock dictates (he was country before country was cool) to record-company politics (the Mekons have blown through at least eleven labels) has made him the underlord of contrarian pop. A well-regarded painter and entertaining stage drunk, Langford's many talents have lured his loyal following through many a side project, from the Waco Brothers to the Pine Valley Cosmonauts. His latest, a "debut" solo album, pairs fiddle and accordion with bristly guitar and Langford's gruff yet harmonious vocals, recalling the Mekons' balance of old-time pub singalongs, stinging punk-rock sarcasm and populist politics. The only real differences here are Langford's cleaner delivery (less drunken banter and sloppy studio shenanigans) and a pronounced seafaring theme, apparent in songs such as "Inside the Whale" and "Pill Sailor." "They shut down the docks/Thrown our lives on the rocks," he sings in a salty northern-English brogue. "But my good eye is wandering still/Past the pubs where I festered all day." Another rowdy masterpiece. (RS 783)

LORRAINE ALI