The Fall – Imperial Wax Solvent

When I said a couple of weeks ago that The Fall were still going strong – http://terrapinlistens2.blogspot.com/2008/11/fall-50000-fall-fans-cant-be-wrong-part.html – I have to admit I had my fingers crossed behind my back. I listened to this with some trepidation, but not only is it true, I was astonished, gobsmacked, whatever at how good this is. With the possible exception of 1993’s “The Infotainment Scan”, it’s the most consistently good Fall album I’ve heard (though I have to admit that I’ve lost touch with them over the last decade or so) since “This Nation’s Saving Grace”, some 23 years ago.

It kicks off relatively quietly, with the subtly surreal “Alton Towers”, so the howl and guitar riff that introduce “Wolf Kidult Man” come as a shock. The benchmark for Fall classics in recent years is “Theme From Sparta FC”. This definitely passes the test. My heart sank at the thought of the next track, which is over 11 minutes long (must be the longest they have ever recorded). I assumed that it was going to be boring, unfocused and rambling, and would have been happy to bank my winnings. Totally wrong. “50 Year Old Man”, which is a celebration of Mark E Smith’s half century, is wonderful, taking off at tangents several times, including a slow bit with banjos. (Have there ever been banjos on a Fall record before? There have now...) MES shouts “Fade out! Fade out!” over the fade-out, but fading out seems to be the last thing on his mind.

The rest is brilliant. You wait for the duff stuff, but it doesn’t arrive. Even tracks like “I’ve Been Duped” (with Eleni Poulou/Smith singing – can you imagine the scene in the Smith household – “Darling, I’ve written a song especially for you to sing”?), and synth near-instrumental “Taurig” (sic), which shouldn’t work, do. Especially good is the ominous “Tommy Shooter”, whose lyrics – “See, the clouds are darkening with wings of chickens, they’re coming home to roost” manage to be simultaneously sinister and hilarious.

Skewed and life-enhancing. A great and totally unexpected piece of work.