The Fall: New Facts Emerge – old habits die hard for Mark E Smith

The Fall's 32nd studio album finds Mark E Smith and his decade-serving band (minus keyboardist – and Smith's wife – Elena Poulou) sounding refreshed and invigorated, notwithstanding the ongoing, tenuous commitment to quality. Blessed with the kind of blind devotion that would even make Morrissey envious, Smith is in fine fettle on Fol De Rol and Brillo De Facto: tight, repetitive, guitar-driven cuts with the Salford native snarling viciously. Second House Now segues perfectly from rambling rockabilly to driving rock. On the flip side, the meandering Couples vs Jobless Mid 30s is the album's nadir, O! Zztrrk Man is instantly forgettable and the overlong, stripped back, guitar and vocal number Nine Out of Ten gets a 10 out of 10 as a patience-tester. New facts emerge, old habits remain. thefall.xyz