The Real New Fall LP (formerly 'Country on the Click')
Mr. Matthew Z. Kassay | Salisbury, QLD Australia | 12/29/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have only had long enough to listen to this latest offering from my all-time favorite band a couple of times so far, but already I can see its going to become one of my most played and revered Fall albums. The depth and richness of ideas presented here - both lyrically and musically - is quite astonishing, even to the ears of a seasoned and dedicated Fall fan of more than twenty years experience. The Fall have always been an uncompromisingly experimental band and I'll happily admit that some of their experiments haven't always worked. Here the experimentation and diversity - on all these 12 new tracks - not only works in terms of being challenging, interesting and engaging, but I'm happy to report there also some damn catchy tunes and foot-tapping riffs and rhythms embedded in these songs, which have been sadly missing from much of the Fall's output lately. While featuring a similar line-up to the previous album, this new set is a big leap ahead from the simple and energetic psuedo-pub rock sounds of 2001's "Are You Are Missing Winner". Keyboards feature prominently here on most tracks, but they don't dominate or swamp the other instuments as they were guilty of doing on some of the Fall's late 1990s albums. The most keyboard-drenched song here is the opener - "Green eyed loco-man" - which is not typical of the rest of the album. Rather, the prominent, familiar bass sounds on many of these tracks had me checking to see if Steve Hanley was back in the group. (He isn't!)This album will definitely satisfy and most probably delight the many dedicated Fall fanatics out there, and perhaps even generate a few new fans. I sincerely hope that M.E.S. allows this latest Fall line-up to stick together for a few more albums at the very least!"
I like the Fall
the claw | LONdoN | 04/30/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Inconsistencies are a constant for 'The Fall'! Smithy's drunken human resource program hits another problem. Still a very good record (Sparta FC is me best), but bring back Scanlon, Hanley, Wolstencroft and Bush!!! and a full set of teeth for M.E.S."
Countryside
alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 05/25/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Fall has released a lot of records in the last few years. Many of these are live recordings and greatest hits collections. It's hard to keep up with all this activity. There must be more than twenty recordings. This CD is formally known as "Country On The Click." They are doing a big tour this year. The first song "Green Eyed Locoman" sounds like the best ever from The Fall. The distinct sound of Mark E. Smith can be heard right away. Many of the songs are drawn from every day life. These songs have all the great riffs. "Sparta 2" sounds like them at their best. This band has been around for twenty-five years. In "Contraflow" he sings "I hate the countryside so much" and it just sounds so great. This is the best album in a while for these guys."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1