The Fall — Reformation! Post-TLC
There’s always been humour with-in the Fall's very distinctive and one of kind sound, but it always been sneering and tongue in cheek variety. For most of the album Mark E Smith just sounds too relaxed and happy go lucky, loosening most of his angry yet wordy young/old man edge. The new band for this album shine nicely enough with some inventive ideas, that sadly don’t get developed. They use of two bass players which gives the album quite an interesting edginess and almost funkiness here and there. It’s just the songs seem ideas that having been allowed to grow, with Smith really just throwing words together seemly on the spot.
If the first five or six tracks had been released as an ep, with their swagger and edginess and knowing smile, this would have been great. Smith sounds in great form with some rather nice gruff asides and grunts here and there too. The Smith penned opener Over, over is prime Fall, with looped throbbing bassy repetitive guitar riffling and Smith sneering and celebrating the end of a relesonship. Track three Fall sound is great electro lo-fi beat craft meets repetitive Fall riff craft, with bassy curls and great sneering vocals. Even later on in the album there are good ideas, but there not allowed to develop, prime examples of this Systematic Abuse that starts off with great bassy experimentation meets spacey lo-finess, but sadly just slips into rather lacklustre riffing and messing about & recorded band chatter.
So in all an album with a promising start and a new band that certainly sounds promising. It’s just time they write some worldly experimental rock songs that Smith is clearly still capable of, instead of album that seems full mostly missed opportunities and half finished ideas.