Energetic But Meandering

Those ever-present post punks are back again. Mark E. Smith and The Fall return following a swarm of live releases and a career-spanning 2-disc retrospective with their proper follow-up to 2003’s The Real New Fall LP. Fall Heads Roll is an album full of energy. While the overall musical quality is equivalent to standout songs that meander a bit, it’s 55 minutes of damn good listening. From the incomprehensibility and heaviness of “Blindness,” to the hard-rocking “What About Us,” and the flashy cover of The Move’s “I Can Hear the Grass Grow”; they seem reminiscent of past glories (i.e. “New Face in Hell,” “Feeling Numb,” “Touch Sensitive,” and a great cover of “Victoria” by the Kinks are among others that made them one of the late John Peel’s favorite bands), but The Fall doesn’t sound repetitive. The centerpiece is The Move cover. Smith and company make the mod/hippy nugget their own by doing what they do best: turning up the volume and Smith’s snide undertones. A runner-up would be “Bo D,” a high-voltage, Bo-Diddley-beat-infused rocker that can blow the headphones from the listener’s ears. “Ride Away” fills out the album with the playfulness of a group completely relaxed. Though the song overstays its welcome a little, Smith’s drunken vocals make the tune affable while Steve Trafford’s cutting guitar contributes an almost Clash-like reggae vibe.

ame After being at it for nearly 30 years, surprises don’t come from The Fall exploring old territory, but in the presentation. Though re-visitation the one setback, it’s not a crime or sin in the case of Fall Heads Roll because there are plenty of highlights throughout.