A Wales of a song

Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Spanish Dance Troupe

The only real problem with Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci is their name. It’s pretentious to start with, and when you find out that the last word is pronounced “monkey,” it’s insufferable. They have no connection to either Arshile Gorky, the Armenian-American abstract expressionist, nor to Maxim Gorky, the Russian novelist. Actually, they’re a Welsh pop group, folky and psychedelic. Although their recordings are all very sunny and shimmery, they have a much harder sound live, or at least they did when I saw them in 2002. They’re a great live band, anyway. This song comes from an album with the same name; the Blue Trees EP and How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart are also very good. I don’t know what’s up with Wales and Scotland, but they seem to breed a disproportionate number of good bands – Super Furry Animals, the Beta Band, Belle and Sebastian, and so forth.

Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci	“One Year the Milkweed,” by Arshile Gorky	Maxim Gorky