A Fall Family Continuum project, it says on the cover, and a long awaited return for the rhythm section which powered The Fall for over fifteen years.
Steve Hanley (1979-98), dusts off his bass and teams up with drummers Paul Hanley (1980-86) and Si Wolstencroft (1986-97) - brought together by founding Fall member Martin Bramah (1976-79, 1989-90) and final Fall guitarist Pete Greenaway (2007-18). It's not the first Fall spin off, there was Brix and the Extricated (which featured the Hanleys) and Imperial Wax (the four Fall members left when Mark E Smith died), but it's possibly the most eagerly anticipated.
Opening with Ayenbite, the double drumkit is to the fore, the bass drives and the guitar dances over, while Bramah's spoken vocals power through. But Wilful I Am is sung, and it's a delivery which doesn't suit the group as well, but we're soon on to the fantastic single (failed to trouble the Top 40 compilers) Harlequin Duke. Imagine a Fall bass line backing John Cooper Clarke (although a bit less obviously Manc), and you're in the right area. Just tremendous.
By Magic Sound, it's difficult not to compare Bramah with Smith as a lyricist, and while they're very different, it's effective with this line up, producing a great combination. Minerva Disrobed is more mysterious, with a sublime bass line carrying it, while There's More shows the power of the two drummers with the guitar fuzzing over, and is ace. Turning Of The Years ends the album, and if this isn't a loving tribute to Mark E Smith, then I've misread it badly. It's a lovely song, and a fantastic end to the album.
I don't know if this is a one off, or a longer term project, but I do hope to catch them live.
4* - a great debut for this exciting legacy line up
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