The Fall – This Nation's Saving Grace

"Feel the wrath of my Bombast!" exhorts Mark E. Smith on This Nation's Saving Grace, the follow-up to their groundbreaking Wonderful and Frightening World of... the Fall, and this collection is ample proof of the pure confidence the group had at this time.

Stompers like "Barmy," "What You Need," and the mighty "Gut of the Quantifier" are all led by Brix Smith's twanging lead hooks, filled by distorted guitars and bludgeoning drums, on top of which Smith rants with conviction.

But it's the departures from this sound that mark the real interest here: The synth-driven "L.A." looks ahead to the Fall's experiments with electronica; "Paint Work" is an impressionist piece interrupted by Smith accidentally erasing over some of the track at home; and "I Am Damo Suzuki," a tribute to Can's lead singer, which borrows its arrangement from several of that group's songs. The Fall sound mysterious, down-to-earth, and hilarious all at the same time.

Vinyl, LP, Reissue, Remastered

Tracklist:
CASTLE NKROACHED
A1 Mansion
A2 Bombast
A3 Barmy
A4 What You Need
A5 Spoilt Victorian Child
A6 L.A.
NATION'S SAVING GRACE
B1 Gut Of The Quantifier
B2 My New House
B3 Paint Work
B4 I Am Damo Suzuki
B5 To Nkroachment: Yarbles