When it comes to The Fall, much of the focus of both fans and journalism is on Mark E Smith, for obvious reasons, and while some band members attract more mentions than others, by and large, they’re relegated to featuring on the sprawling family tree which rivals The Damned in its enormity, with proportionally small credit being given for their abilities. The fact that The Fall – particularly in the early years – embraced a ragged, somewhat sloppy sound is likely a factor, but as time went on, whatever the lineup, they turned in some pretty tight performances, and not just in the studio. This was as likely in spite of Smith’s contributions as because of them.
The first time I saw The Fall was just before Christmas in 1994 at The Barbican in York: touring ‘Middle Class Revolt’, which they actually played songs from, the set also featured a hefty chunk of the then-unreleased ‘Cerebral Caustic’ and ended with ‘LA’, but mostly I remember how Smith fiddled with the amps and carted half the mics from the drum kits off the stage. It was quite the spectacle, but even then I wondered how the rest of the band actually managed to keep it together under such conditions.
Of the lineup from that era, House of All includes Stephen Hanley and Simon Wolstencroft, and for this, their third album, the ranks of former Fall players is augmented by a third drummer in the shape of Karl Burns.
‘House of All Souls’ is the third album from House of All, and as with its predecessors, places the spotlight on the band as a collective, as a unit, and really does highlight the level of their contribution. ‘The Devil’s House’ kick it off with a loose, rolling rhythm, sturdy bass and a nice guitar groove, before single cut ‘The Good Englishman’ comes on like classic Fall, reminding us that they always had the capacity to conjure emotional resonance and mood, however vague, without being remotely emo– I’m thinking ‘Edinburgh Man’, or ‘Time Enough at Last’, among others. Anyway. It has swing and a tinge of melancholic nostalgia to it, and it’s also pleasant as well as discordant: in short, it’s got the lot.
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That’s a fair summary of the album as a whole, really: the guitars are wilfully wonky, chiming and sliding and occasionally slipping off track or off key over strolling, rolling basslines and sturdy drums. And yes, it does sound like The Fall – which is inevitable, really.
‘Oh What Is Love Made For’ is a standout, with its motorik beats and quivering vintage synths, and ‘Infamous Immoral Sister’ stretches out over five minutes in a languid wash that is extremely reminiscent of moments on ‘Middle Class Revolt’. ‘Ramshackle’ isn’t really the word, but in the spirit of The Fall, ‘House of All Souls’, production takes a back seat in favour of capturing the immediacy of the sound of people getting together and playing instruments. And while you might expect three drummers and three guitarists to be tripping over on another, it all comes together rather nicely.
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