Waxim “Wax” Ulysses Mekanix is an American musician, songwriter, painter, photographer, and founding member of the cult rockers Nitro. What doesn’t this guy do? The creative polymath’s vetted perspective and body of musical output can be described as raw, bold, uncompromising, authentic, and disconcerting.
Wax Mekanix is back with “Shrew’s Fiddle,” the fourth single, and a new lyric video taken from his 2023 album, Psychotomimetic, which was released via Philly-based Electric Talon Records. The album is a blisteringly heavy, trippy, and kaleidoscopic set of songs that defy genre and comment on the times he created. True to his shapeshifting reputation, it sounds as if Wax invited Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Jack White, and The Beach Boys into his recording sessions to collaborate on an album together.
You can watch the trippy lyric video for “Shrew’s Fiddle” below:
On Psychotomimetic, Wax has constructed sonic and thematic connective tissue, joining the new album with 2020’s classic rock-infused Mobocracy, and then connected that to the thunderous, tribal, groovy, organic howls of 2021’s Blunt. As Wax says, the Psychotomimetic songs seem to span time and suspend it. They reference a familiar past, speak to the crazy present, and contemplate an unknown future. “I once got some advice just to be yourself,” Wax says. “That was good advice until I thought, ‘Which one?’”
The new single, “Shrew’s Fiddle,” is like Wax taking the red pill in The Matrix and going down the rabbit hole. He may never return, and, more specifically, he followed the ghost of John Lennon down the rabbit hole. The song’s premise was this: What if he co-wrote “She Said” with Lennon and George Harrison for Revolver, and what would that look like?
Wax admits this is a large and pretentious bite that has ingredients almost certain to piss off Beatles fans far and wide. It’s like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Or is it more like continuing the folk tradition of reinterpretation and reinvigorating an older song? Is it worthy of the effort? Wax isn’t sure, but life is short, so he was determined to enjoy the experiment and just do it.
After watching the video for “Shrew’s Fiddle,” check out the rest of the tunes on Wax Mekanix’s Psychotomimetic. “Pillars of Creation” is another track that sounds like an old Beatles song run through the industrial psychedelic grinder, exploding into a trippy freak-out. “Two Left Feet” is a bluesy romp where Wax sings repeatedly, “I heard the Devil’s got two left feet.”
Other highlights of Psychotomimetic include “Key To The End of The World” and “Jeremy Hillary.” “Key To The End of The World” features a creepy lo-fi beginning that builds into a beautiful song over its short span. “Jeremy Hillary” is more of a rocker, featuring Wax’s signature chaotic melodies referencing The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man.” Beatles fans will either love or absolutely hate this.
The Third Eye recommends “Shrew’s Fiddle” and Psychotomimetic for those seeking a unique psychedelic listening experience. The song and the new album are a very 21st-century-styled sound collage that references the past while adding a modern twist. Enjoy!
Check out Psychotomimetic by Wax Mekanix on Bandcamp here.
Support Wax Mekanix by finding him on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
Support Electric Talon records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter).
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