Released on 21/05/07
Label: Domino

By rights Mark E Smith should be dead by now; if not actually physically then creatively at the very least. Being a fan of The Fall in the late '90s was a dispiriting experience, seeing the formerly impervious frontman of the greatest and most long lived of all the post punk bands and the closest we have to a 'godfather of indie' stumbling around stage, unable to stand, let alone sing; the self-inflicted injury of years of alcohol and amphetamine abuse. It looked like he wasn't long for this world.

But something has changed in his life (some say it is the fact he broke his hip after a fall a few years back and has started drinking less) and this in turn has led to some of the best music The Fall have ever produced. Live, the 2007 version is easily the equal of any previous line-ups and albums such as "Fall Heads Roll" and singles like "Theme From Sparta FC" prove they are once again fit for combat.

So how should Smith celebrate his 50th birthday this year? By taking it easy, revisiting past glories? Not on your Nellie. He's recorded a bracing techno album with Jan St Werner and Andi Toma of German electronica/Krautrock experts Mouse On Mars; and it's close to brilliant. Quite obviously recorded in something of a rush, St Werner and Toma have obviously benefited in some ways from Smith's terrifyingly pacey work ethic. So anyone who is approaching this expecting deeply textured and subtle soundscapes will be disappointed.

Instead we have "Fledermaus Can't Get It" (which instantly calls to mind "Plug Myself In", his collaboration with D.O.S.E.) a heavy LFO-style stomper with Smith, vocals garbled almost beyond recognition, ranting in mock bombast about having to climb "two flights of stairs" to reach the studio. "The Rhinohead" is a glam-inflected pop gem about the big nosed pachyderm wearing a gold necklace and is one of Smith's catchiest compositions in years. Elsewhere, we have the Burundi afro pop paean to all his departed mates, Dearest Friends, and a glitchy, two-step rant against DJs, the terrific and comic "Flooded".

Admittedly, there are tracks here that everyone bar the most militant of Fall fans will find bewildering (or maybe just hilarious/rage-inducing) such as the completely unhinged "Chicken Yiamas" that sees the Salford seer barking like an angry tramp who's just had his Special Brew confiscated. Still, it's heartening to see Smith mainly producing effortless gems in a genre that often sees men half his age struggling to do anything of interest in. A very good album indeed.

    by John Doran