The Fall are probably the most marmite-y of all bands (and if you don’t get that reference then you are really going to struggle when they include lyrics about Spangles and Vimto). The quintessential post punk Manchester band, fronted by Mark E Smith and featuring a huge roster of members over the years, including your granny on bongos.
Their music ranges from straightforward rock, to electronica, to borderline unlistenable experiments recorded on an old cassette player. The albums vary wildly in quality and tone, but the one constant feature is the lyrics and unique vocals of Smith himself. For somebody that looked a bit like an old tramp on a bench outside the Arndale Centre he was one of the most literate and sometimes baffling poets of the last 50 years.
It really pays dividends to follow along on the annotated Fall lyrics website to check the references and allusions, from 70s sweets (Spangles and Curly Wurlies) to Manchester landmarks, folklore, literature and weird science.
Highlights include The League of Bald Headed Men about old blokes who really should know better going to raves and a sublime cover of Lost in Music where Smith’s idea of a working day starts at a relaxed 10am in the morning.
Manc-tastic-ah!
https://album.link/gb/i/1564994862
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