House Of All as I hope everyone knows by know is the new band formed as a sort of Alumni project by several graduates of The Fall school of Rock & Roll dissolution, obtuse lyrical interjections with weird time signatures. At no point in The Fall's history did all the members of House Of All play together as one line-up of that band, so the claims for being a new band ring true.
The House Of All feature the legend that is Martin Bramah with the brothers Hanley Steve and Paul, Simon Wolstencroft and Pete Greenway who between them cover the length of The Falls career from first line-up to last, possibly with the odd gap in between, while Mark E Smith was in Thirst that short lived band formed after The Fall broke up in 85 or 86 was it. The album was recorded at Hope Mill Studios in Manchester by Tomos Williams and produced by Martin Beddington.
The Album opens with Aynebite that has stop start drums, vocals sung through a valve microphone to give it a weird echo feel, as Martin Bramah seems to recite the lyrics in a poetic fashion, paying a debt to Mark E Smith yet still sounding fresh, still not sure what Aynebite is about, but then that's perfect for being in the Fall tradition of oblique lyrics, vocals multiply this gets more intriguing as the vocals roll around the speakers.
But Wilful I Am could easily be the Mark E Smith credo in one pithy phrase, this lot aren't hiding their iniquity, or the debt they owe to the great man, over crisply produced percussion with dark organ swathes, interspersed with a deep bassline.
Dominus Ruinea is a tract of dyspeptic disarray from the depths, of working within the confines of the mania that was The Fall, in all its messy glory, the choral backing vocals working against the sparse backing.
Harlequin Duke has am imperious bassline as the obscurantist lyrics are spat at us, the more times you hear this, the more it will reveal or bemuse dependent on how it hits you, slouching drums, curveball organ immortal soul divinations, quoting the grand bingo master forever captive to his habits, never breaking out of his own cage, as if The Stranglers have lost any plot they ever had, while falling in love with The Fall.
Magic Sound is all about the elusive lifelong search for The Magic Sound that cures everything, gets rid of all your addictions, with The Magic Sound of course you've found it.
Minerva Disrobed has superfly funky guitar, to strip you of your inhibitions, as you wander naked across the speakers, frazzled fripperies of drumbeats twisting the tale.
There's More well there were always more Fall records, singles gigs, or snide comments winding people up, starting those fights, fall down the stairs drumming, the never-ending repeating riff, destroying your mind, learn 30 more songs, play louder, more instructions, more lessons this never lets up.
Turning Of The Years is a treatise and statement of what House Of all are about, kind of a false remembrance of the places and states they inhabited in earlier incarnations as members of The Fall how it changed them, like this is a PTSD middle of the night freak out for waking up in the middle of the worst day you ever spent in the Fall, then remembering the greatest moment straight after, jolts of memories, shared and unshared histories tales.
Find out more at https://houseofall.bandcamp.com/album/house-of-all https://www.facebook.com/fallfamilycontinuum
