Power-Popscurities: Popular Mechanix - Western World (1980)

Popular Mechanix were Winnipeg's most successful punk/new wave/power-pop band of the late seventies, for a bit more on them go here.

Western World finds the band honing its witty, herky-jerky-pop style ( à la XTC) on tracks like. "Safety Pays".

Popular Mechanix - Safety Pays


Western World link is in the comments

Update: Greg Gardner writes:

... and not only was Western World moving in a pop psychedelic direction, had the third album been finished, it was moving in a psychedelic surf/exotica direction!
In those days, (1979-1982) being an "indie band" really WAS indie! How could an obscure, unsigned band from Winnipeg, Manitoba (of all places), possibly get their stuff distributed properly?
About the time we finally packed it in, David Peel did a great write up in NME, (circa 1981-82 Elvis cover), praising the Western World album - but, alas - we, the time, and all the money was spent!


(Footage from the reunion show!)

Power-Popscurites: Popular Mechanix! - S/T (1979)

Power-Popscurites is a series meant to bring to light power-pop bands so unknown that they've even been missed by greater minds of the blogosphere.

Winnipeg's seventies punk/new wave community was small terms of size and impact. Alongside, The Fuse, Popular Mechanix! were one of the big fish in this frozen pond. The band, Stu Nichols - Vocals/Guitars, Boris Hoagy - Bass/Vocal and Greg Gardner - Drums/Vocals, borrowed from ska, punk, power-pop and the quirkier side of new wave to make music they called "snow wave". The band, who resided somewhere between The Diodes and The Pointed Sticks, musically and geographically, got to make two indie L.P.'s, both of which were, for many years, ubiquitous in Winnipeg .

You have to scrunch up your ears to imagine how much more a sympathetic producer could've done with this tight trio and their developing song-craft on their self-titled debut. The album is loaded with deftly-arranged tracks that wittily rail against Las Vegas toilets, Winnipeg winters, painter pants and Mazola Oil, all the while proving that it's "Fun To Be Dumb".




Popular Mechanix! - Ice Box City


Popular Mechanix! - Fun to be Dumb

(Thanks to Punk History Canada for all the images)

Self-Titled link is in the comments

Speaking of comments, Give us you evaluation of Popular Mechanix!