The Edge of the World is a pivotal album in the Mekons’ enormous oeuvre, for it’s the record that introduces Sally Timms’ remarkable voice into the group’s mix of country, folk, punk, and noise textures. Either on its own or in tandem with longtime singers Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh, Timms’ voice adds an attractive new texture to The Edge of the World. However, in retrospect, this is not the countrified album its initial reviews claimed, or at least not entirely. The opening “Hello Cruel World” is a grinding post-punk downer that slowly accelerates into a desperate, hoarse cry with no noticeable country or folk elements. “Bastard” ups the anger and desperation considerably, this time adding a stomping fiddle tune and one of Langford’s most spiteful, spittle-flecked vocals. Timms makes her lead vocal debut on the majestically dismissive “Oblivion,” which has the most striking chorus on the album. After that strong trio of tunes, the rest of the album refines those musical styles and lyrical themes to varying degrees, with the rollicking “Slightly South of the Border” and the remarkable “Alone and Forsaken” the highlights. The Edge of the World is one of the Mekons’ finest efforts. – Stewart Mason