No Frills Reviews

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HOUSE Of ALL is made up of former members of cult Manchester greats, The Fall, who disbanded following the death of talismanic frontman, Mark E. Smith, in 2018. Now, anyone familiar with The Fall will know that doesn’t particularly narrow down who this might actually consist of. Their famously erratic line-up – Smith being the only constant – means this isn’t a simple case of a band playing on minus their frontman. HOUSE Of ALL comprises of members from across The Fall’s 40-year lifespan. From founding guitarist, Martin Bramah, who instigated this project, through to latter day guitarist, Pete Greenway, who hadn’t even met the others. Also in there are bassist, Steve Hanley, plus two drummers, Paul Hanley and Simon Wolstencroft.

So chemistry wasn’t exactly a given here, but that was kind of the point. Bramah wanted to draw on their commonality; the shared experience of playing with Smith in The Fall, and recreate the pressurised environment which could lead to improvised moments of magic.

And yes, it does sound like The Fall; at least in parts, which was probably inevitable given their shared musical histories. And that’s no bad thing, because The Fall generally sounded pretty great. Bramah’s vocals and lyrics definitely take on a similar tone to Smith, if not actually sounding like him.

Lyrically, it feels very Fall; like its own form of bizarre abstract poetry; it makes perfect sense, yet at the same time makes no particular sense. It’s not the kind of thing that lends itself to easy interpretation, although I’m sure the famously studious Fall fans will give it a go (there’s a whole website dedicated to this). There is a political track here, but political in the vaguest of ways; the title itself probably being the most overtly political comment it makes, Dominous Ruinea (Latin for Domineering Ruins). Although, can I really call it overt if I had to Google translate what it meant?

I was never too concerned about the deeper meanings with The Fall anyway. The beauty is in the almost conversational tone, like you’re overhearing snippets of a really interesting conversation. Full of cryptic-sounding proclamations (“vulgarity is life”, “it’s not style, it’s merely stylish”) which are eminently quotable, and feel deeply insightful; whether they actually are or not. And they just sound cool over a good groove.

And there’s plenty of good grooves to be had here. Again, it’s often Fall-like; swirling guitar lines, and driving, repetitious rhythms. A couple of tracks almost verge into psychedelia through force of repetition, the bass lines slowly turning mesmeric. It’s not all one-note though; there’s changes of pace along the way, with closer Turning Of The Years being the most up-tempo, and they even get close to a ballad on But Wilful I Am.

While they set out to replicate a feeling rather than a sound, you can’t help but compare it to The Fall. And thankfully this would stand up alongside The Fall’s back catalogue. Honestly, this betters some of their later albums as Smith’s vocals had become increasingly unlistenable. And if Bramah wanted to create an environment that could birth moments of improvised magic then album highlight, Magic Sound, is like a manifestation of that; a celebration of finally nailing what you were looking for. And the most fitting compliment I could probably give, is that this sounds like it could be a Fall classic.

Best tunes: Dominous Ruinea, Magic Sound

Note – this review was originally published in June 2023 as part of a new music roundup post. It has been re-published separately here for archiving purposes.

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