Your Future, Our Clutter

1976年の結成以来、30年以上に渡り精力的な活動を続け、音楽シーンに計り知れない影響を残してきた伝説的ポストパンク・バンド、ザ・フォールがUK最高峰インディーレーベル＜Domino＞移籍第1弾で通算27作目となるアルバムをリリース！70年代後半～80年代ポスト・パンク～ニューウェーヴ期を語るうえで欠かせないバンドであり、マンチェスター・ムーヴメントも、ブリットポップも、そして近年ネオ・ニューウェーヴまで脇目も振らず独自の道を進みつづけてきた孤高の存在。79年以来、ほぼ1～2年に1枚のペースでアルバム・リリースを続けてきた永遠の現役バンド。BBCの伝説的DJ故ジョン・ピールがザ・フォールの大ファンだった事は有名な話だがソニック・ユース、ペイヴメント、ブラック・フラッグ、マーズ・ヴォルタといったUSバンドに大きな影響を与えたこともザ・フォールの功績のひとつだろう。また、DJシャドウやモブ・ディープ、ウータン・クランのRZAなど、ヒップホップ界にもファンは多い。また、トム・ヨーク、ブロック・パーティー、フランツ・フェルディナンドなどのUK勢もザ・フォールからの影響を公言している。
Hostess

Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[There's] space for reflection and a rocking version of Wanda Jackson's 'Funnel Of Love.' In short, it delivers..." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 --"Oddball, but articulate, brimming over with a delight in language, 'Bury...' is a wonderful example of Mark Smith's transformative science fiction..." Pitchfork - "Smith outfits his charges with single-chord morse-code riffs and lockstep rhythms before gradually ratcheting up the intensity..." Spin - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Steadily spewing cantankerous noise since the '70s punk uprising, these Brits epitomize ornery independence." Uncut - Ranked #17 in Uncut's "The 50 Best Albums of 2010" -- "[With] Mark E Smith shaping his patented garage/synth prog into relatively user-friendly shape."

'Your Future Our Clutter' is the twenty eighth studio album from Manchester punk outfit The Fall. The line up is unchanged from the 2008 release 'Imperial Wax Solvent' and is led by the ever present Mark E. Smith who continues to front the band with his legendary demeanour. Smith, the principle songwriter, leads the band through a deluge of raw energetic songs that are completed with his characteristically enigmatic lyrics.|

Entering on “O.F.Y.C. Showcase” with that lurch and throb that they do so well -- guitar, drums, and bass in perfect Mancabilly sync -- the Fall sound as vital as ever on Your Future Our Clutter, their 28th studio album leader/vocalist Mark E. Smith describes perfectly with the song's line “a showcase of proud talent.” Add the cover artwork which, in a rare move, features pictures of the bandmembers, and fans can correctly assume that everything is good in the Fall's often tumultuous world as the members from their previous effort all show up here. It’s also safe to assume and that this album is going to feature some esoteric references to their previous work along with some other oddball moves that are best appreciated by Fall regulars. Two songs in and Smith is giving us a minute and a half of recordings off his cheap hand-held tape recorder, a regular stage prop as of late, but part three of “Bury” is the stomping payoff, rewarding those who have learned to savor the man's eccentricities with a serious kick in the gut. “Mexico Wax Solvent” references the band's previous effort, Imperial Wax Solvent, and maybe even its universally positive reviews with Smith’s declaration “I am invincible!” Then the bizarre happens as layers of Western guitars and Smith's cut-up tale of “Cowboy George” combine for an unexpected Fall classic. From here on through it's back to the usual business with two tight hook/sharp riff/caustic Smith tracks (“Hot Cake,” “Y.F.O.C./Slippy Floor”) mixing with the surprise rave-up cover song (Wanda Jackson's “Funnel of Love”) along with two of those elaborate numbers (“Chino,” “Weather Report 2”) that take time to untangle. These knotty tracks are worth the effort as they are two prime Fall epics, and when Smith exits with “You don't deserve rock & roll” on the closer, the whole theme of the band and fan relationship has come full circle. Too insider to cross over or consider one of their classics, but an otherwise solid Fall effort offering everything fans require. ~ David Jeffries

UKロック最強の屈折ヒネクレ王の座を30年以上もキープし続ける孤高の変人、マークE・スミス。最近でもゴリラズの「Plastic Beach」に参加して毒気を散布していた彼が率いるバンド、フォールズの通産27作目(！)がリリース。アヴァンかつジャンクに鳴り響く猥雑サウンドの攻撃力も凄いが、まるで衰えを見せないスミスの底意地が悪そうなヴォーカルが本当に凄い！　覚悟して聴くように。
bounce (C)北爪啓之