The Fall

The latest Fall album (their 28th) comes after the biggest gap ever in the band's 33-year history. Perhaps it has something to do with signing to a reputable label like Domino, but there's something about Your Future Our Clutter that makes it seem like they're back on Rough Trade. Maybe the label logo on the packaging is a wee bit distracting in its promise, but Mark E. Smith appears ready to get serious. And serious he gets by finally giving us a piece of himself (or so it seems). In "Bury Pts 1 & 3," Smith alludes to the Uncut interview where he made the infamous squirrel comment, which led to an investigation by the RSPCA. Even more surprising is "Weather Report 2," where Smith sheds his cranky skin and bares his soul, even questioning his future over the Fall's cleanest guitar chords yet. Eventually it transcends into a droning outro, ending with the memorable line: "You don't deserve rock'n'roll." For a man whose lyrics and vocals are often indecipherable at best, this feels like a breakthrough. The two-year break has revitalized not just his songwriting, but also his direction for the band. "Cowboy George" walks the line between rollicking western movie soundtrack and gurgling guitar-scaping, but also intersperses an unmistakable Daft Punk sample for one of the most unlikely cameos ever. Huh? And Smith almost sounds like he's having some fun on "Y.F.O.C./Slippy Floor," conducting his mates to just let loose, candidly muttering, "This new approach is on the borders of necessity." When it comes to Mark E. Smith, any kind of psychoanalysis is moot, but if this sense of necessity had been felt a few dozen or so times in the past, there could have been many more Fall albums as memorable as this one.