The Fall
Hex Enduction Hour

THE REVIEW

How they managed to be phenomenal in 1977, during a period of punk ghettoization and standardization, only a few others have achieved. From Mark Smith and company, we received a sensational new wave/post-punk, marked by unparalleled tribalism and minimalism. Exalted by the lesson of Pere Ubu, they made a comeback with "Dragnet" and "Live At Witch Trials", great examples of their sound. Drunken rhythms, neurotic and ramshackle voice, instability and insecurity. These are the elements that characterize The Fall and undergo such an extensive maturation process that they end up producing excellent albums even in the late 1980s, like "Bend Sinister". The beginning of the band is marked by a malevolent primitive voodoobilly that will teach even the most brash Sonic Youth ("Totally Wired") and the legend of Mark Smith swiftly takes shape.

His "talking blues" descends onto the arduous social reflection, bizarre stories, the nightly events of English pubs and the sound collage that emerges is remarkable. The agonized and unconventional voice, almost unaesthetic (but not more than Beefheart), is seminal even for our Capovilla. The subsequent works of the 1980s, like "Grotesque", reduce the atonal component to move towards an almost "lo-fi" conception. The sarcastic and irreverent country/vaudeville/punk nursery rhymes are so original that the great John Peel fell madly in love with them, so much so that he invited them many times to his live session programs.

Abstraction and randomness are frequent in their artistic conception, almost for a select few, even cultured but not snobbish, so to speak, from the "intelligentsia". Mark Smith is the classic icon that you either love or hate.

In 1982, they reach "Hex Production Hour" which increases the composure of "Grotesque", eliminating the shock elements of "Dragnet" and consecrating their chameleonic fusion of post-punk and beyond. We have long compositions where Smith showcases his flair, as in "Hip Priest" and "Fortress/Deer Dark", but that perhaps lack too many interesting points. Let's say he is not always as effective as a Nick Cave.. But the effectiveness of The Fall always hits when the ideas are clear and direct. "The Classical" is the prelude drenched in psychedelia and a disruptive setup that promises only more great things from this work. We could define it as their "What Goes On".. And the desire almost comes true, only that we have to wait for the eighth track to have a real jolt again. Namely "Who Makes The Nazism?", the typical sabbath where Smith lulls us with his thundering declamation, supported by a tight bass loop. After this critique of the worst vices and evils of man and the assault on the bigoted bourgeoisie, we reach the folk of "Iceland" and the protracted delirium of "And This Day".

Not bad is also their state of awareness of their means, some early naiveties have been mystified and significant is also having completed a fundamental album for the future. This mad runaway train serves as an introduction to all the other marvels that future works "Perverted By Language" and "This Nation's Saving Grace" reserve.