3/5
It
is literally almost an annual event that The Fall release a new studio album,
and with their 29th LP to date, they have yet again found a new
sound. For 35 years, The Fall have never remained stagnant in the one sound,
always fresh (though that is possibly to do with Mark E. Smith’s constant
rotation of the band’s line-up). This album is no different in that respect,
but on the other hand, it does not offer the sharpness and intrigue that almost
all of their back-catalogue does.
The
album opens with the rather gripping ‘Cosmos 7’ – a racing, Cramps-like track,
with hypnotic guitar and bass work and the unusual ramblings of Smith himself.
A wonderful opener, Cosmos 7 makes the listener expect quite an interesting
album, but when it ends, pessimism does start to grow. For the next few songs,
the album frankly becomes incredibly boring. They feel like filler tracks with
no real inspiration behind them other than the sake of writing a song. Even
Mark E. Smith’s signature spoken style of vocals seem almost like they’re just
placed on top, not really fitting into place here. I had just about given up
hope for the album during the 4th track, ‘Mask Search’.
However, by far the
most vocally interesting track, ‘Greenway’, came right after. In this, Smith
growls over a mock-heavy metal backing,
lyrically reminding us of the MES charm we all know and love as he explains “I
had to wank off the cat to feed the fucking dog”. There are plenty of
false-endings in it, but it never really seems overdone or too long. The album
from then on takes a welcome turn and becomes extremely enjoyable. Number 6 on
the track list, ‘Happi Song’, is sweetly sung by his current wife Eleni Poulou
and is reminiscent of the better side of the German underground indie-pop
scene.
The Fall briefly return
to their post-punk origins in the ever so slightly Devo-esque song ‘I’ve Seen
Them Come’, showing the strengths of the rhythm section, which is incredibly
tight on this album. They even go so far as a shockingly doom metal like sound
with Monocard with slow drums and bass line, hypnotic guitars and swirling
synths. The album ends strongly with the pulsing punky ‘Age of Chang’*,
as Smith seems to rally for revolution. Ersatz G.B. is well worth a listen,
though perhaps not quite as memorable as The Fall’s past work.
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