Tim Mechling – “The Vandal Hands of Man” | Progressive Rock Central.com

Sailing off into the Salish Sea; on a new additional project, to help bring more recognition to bands and musicians from the Great Pacific Northwest! Thankful for the opportunity to help bring recognition to more of these brilliant artists.

The launch of this new project starts with Tim Mechling, and his sixth full-length album, The Vandal Hands of Man.

Tim Mechling is a Bellingham-based folk/psychedelic rock independent artist. His past work has ranged from psychedelic pop rock, jazz, melancholia, drone, folk, southern gothic and beyond.

The Vandal Hands of Man is Tim Mechling’s sixth full-length LP, all of which have been recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Tim. Tim has played keyboard for indie darlings Courtney Marie Andrews and Dillon Warnek out of Nashville. Tim plays most of the instruments on his albums, but is frequently accompanied by Hannah Wyatt, who is a prolific independent artist in her own right. She sings harmony and plays violin throughout the album. Tim plays all the instruments on the album except for Hannah Wyatt on violin, viola, and cello. Eli Waltz played harmonica and delivered the spoken word on the first track. Alex Kubiak plays clarinet and bass clarinet on “Candy Store Foreclosure.”

Tim Mechling sounds a lot like the perfect mix of music from the best of Tom Waits and the Fleet Foxes. (Yeah, imagine that!) It is deep thinking and sometimes rough lyrics and vocals that fit the times we live in today. The tougher lyrics also reflect the passion that Tim has for the issues presented in these songs. Tim is not a fence sitter. He delivers his feelings and thoughts through his music and lyrics. He seldom pulls punches, and that is what I, and I hope you, like from an artist. Someone that tells you the truth about how they feel. Someone, hopefully, you can identify with and appreciate through their music.

So, let’s get started. “The Prologue”, as I once said in a high school commencement speech, is the launch of the present and future, with an eye on the past. And Tim’s great poem launches this epic album very well. Since the prologue, is, so important, I will quote it here. It is the first track on the album; spoken by Eli Waltz, who also plays harmonica on the song; which is mixed well with wind, rain, and the sound of thunderstorms. “Westward wagons lighting out. In wretched caravans. People by the wolfish shapes. Of all the pious hooligans. That bleeding sun retreating. In its cowardly recant. A posse there pursuing it. With rifles in their hands. Cadavers seen of man and beasts. Reeking putrid in the sand. Their shadows reaching eastward. To a black, bony expanse. What cruelty competes on western seas? Eclipse the scorching on the damned? The good Lord weeps, Satan retreats. From the vandal hands of Man”. The key here, of course is the ruthlessness of Man towards other men/women and beasts in competition for, and with, the land. Could this poem or narrative, be about the 19th Century “Western Expansion”, egged on by the US Government, whom celebrated the concept of “Manifest Destiny” and delivered the Homestead Act? Did the concept of “Manifest Destiny”, increase the competitive nature of man, which absolutely affected beast and land? Or, on the other hand, is this the scene of some present or future apocalyptic vision? I will let you be the judge of that?

There are no questions about what “Wounded Knee”, is about. The horrible devastation of that 19^th Century tragedy is well known. A soft acoustic guitar plays slowly as Tim Mechling sings, to soft strings, slow drums, and banjo. This is a Southern blues gothic, song, with a nice knock on Robert E. Lee, that I absolutely appreciated. A real, heart – tugging, down on your luck, tear jerker.

“Hornet’s Nest”, opens with Hannah Wyatt accompanying Tim on vocals; to create this bluesy, western love song. Tim sings, full of passion, and with a good bit of whit, “In front of God and everyone, I’d hand to you, my heart. It’s full of tar and bacon fat, and witches wicked warts”. A lonely and tough song about…yes love. He lowers himself in every way he can, with an appreciation for someone he loved. Tim sings, “loving you, is just like cardiac arrest. Losing you made my heart a hornet’s nest”. A song that would fit very well on some future Tarantino movie. Check this out, Quentin.

“Fried People”, is another interesting look at life and what we eat. This one opens with the swampy sounds of nature, like crickets and frogs, followed by banjo, and soft, low oohs. Just like one of your favorite Tom Waits’ songs. Tim, even varies his vocals to sound more like Waits’ with his slow drawl. The return of the harmonica is just perfect. It is dark and macabre. A song that I believe is about our love of fried food…At least I hope so.

“Hungry Horse”, opens with slow, soft acoustic guitar and Fleet Foxes – like vocal harmonies, from Tim. A country/western – sounding look at some of the trials and tribulations we may all face daily. Wonderful 19^th Century sounding piano and effects that few musicians use any more.

“Johnny Never Came Marching Home”, is a wonderful throw-back to one of the favorite songs of the Civil War. It opens with breathtaking acoustic guitar and then proceeds to tell the story of the life of Vietnam veterans and their wives. A sad song, though, the violin music is so sweet. 4:01 minutes of sad stories of post-traumatic syndromes that stem from war experiences.

“I Can’t Believe That I Have Really Found You”, opens with whining violin and deep strings. An almost waltz begins as the song dances on. An over a minute, instrumental interlude.

“Come to the Window”, opens with bright piano. Then Tim and Hannah Wyatt sing about people sleeping well on the other side of the window. A look at how others might have it better, despite the cold wind blowing outside. Almost sounds like a hymn at times.

“Bad, Bad Boy”, is a Southern blues version of a song, trying to out due George Thoroughgood’s “Bad to the Bone”. Tim’s boy is awfully bad indeed. The lyrics pile on the troubles and offenses. It is all set to that wonderful New Orleans kinda blues bar, piano playing. Tim sings, “A few times I went crazy, straight out of Scorsese!” The song is complete with trumpet that would make Louie Armstrong smile. Tom Waits would also be proud of this close to four minute look at life.

“Those Days”, opens like an acoustic guitar, Led Zeppelin song, off album III. But it quickly turns into a travelling song, with Tim singing about the past, and those good ole days.

“Montgomery”, sounds almost like a Christmas song played on a child’s wind-up music box. Nice break, indeed.

“Blue Skies, Black Death”, is another slow cadence acoustic guitar melody, with Tim and Hannah Wyatt singing slowly, accompanied by harmonica. A tough David Lynch, sad, but realistic perspective on the way they see things today.

“Candy Store Foreclosure”, is another sad, slow, New Orleans dirge. Full of horns, piano and soft paced percussion. A sad, bluesy, song presented in that ole New Orleans blues way, that sounds so rich. Tim sings, “so welcome to the bottom of the well”. Alex Kubiak plays clarinet and bass clarinet, filling the soundscape.

“Epilogue”, is a slow piano instrumental, which closes the album, with rich melody and a nostalgic feel. Almost a “Take me Out to The Ballgame” melody to it.

Tim Mechling has put together an excellent album on his sixth venture into recording the long playing album; The Vandal Hands of Man. The minute I read that title; I knew I would like this album. Yes, it can get sad and low, but the blues was always been meant to pick you up. To take you down so low, you would realize that you had it better than others…or expected. This album is like that. You will feel the emotion and power of the melodies and richness of the character, and the characters Tim writes about; and hopefully empathize with them, or at least recognize some paths that you may have been down in the past or present.

This is a rich album of sounds and textures which are not often heard or appreciated anymore. Pick up this album and give it a chance to be heard, and I think, like me, that you will like it as well. It will provide a change of direction from the music you regularly listen to, and open your mind to a sound from the past, echoed into the present. A voice, maybe calling you, to examine where you are…before you continue forward.

Thanks, Tim Mechling!

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