During their decade-plus of changing lineups and shifting styles, England's mercurial Mekons have offered offbeat variations on everything from primal punk to drunken country laments. Despite its prosaic title, The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll continues the tradition of unpredictable behavior with a witty blend of screaming raveups and spooky ballads. In a better world, this exhilarating major-label debut would spark an epidemic of Mekon-mania.

The thundering leadoff track, "Memphis, Egypt," sets the mood, sounding a skeptical note that echoes throughout the album. Firestorm guitars and explosive drums (from Graham Parker alumnus Steve Goulding) ignite a stunning display of raw power, but the song also mocks the conventions it employs so well, slyly equating the big beat with seductive Lucifer himself. Opening rock's "can of ideological worms," the sarcastic "Empire of the Senseless" blasts mainstream censorship, while "Amnesia" scoffs at the Sixties British Invasion and its ongoing repercussions, wryly saluting "truth, justice and Led Zeppelin." Veteran Mekons Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh manage to embody the contradictions: Their ragged guitars produce triumphant noise in the spirit of the Velvet Underground and Television, but their weary vocals show the damage from too many late nights.

Drawing on folkier roots, Sally Timms's eerily cool singing provides a striking counterpoint to the fiery epics. In the catchy "Club Mekon" she calmly evokes "a world of cheap sensation," and prodded by Susie Honeyman's morose fiddle on "I Am Crazy," which could've come from a classic Richard and Linda Thòmpson LP, Timms plunges into bitter romantic despair.

Occasionally the attitudes get out of hand. The sleepy "Someone" chokes on its own smugness, and "Cocaine Lil" is more cutesy than bluesy. Mostly, however, the Mekons' scruffy irreverence works like a charm. Whether you share their subversive urges or not, it's a certified blast. (RS 571)

JON YOUNG