HOUSE Of ALL - Self-Titled - The Singles, Reviewed

HOUSE Of ALL - Self-Titled - The Singles, Reviewed

Led by vocalist and lyricist Mark E. Smith, The Fall were one of the greatest and most prolific post-punk bands of all time. Their sound was typically characterised by sharp edged, repetitive grooves, atop which Mark would monologue, ramble, yelp, croon, scream and gargle in his distinct style, lyrics often chock full of portrayals of everyday Mancunian life, obscure literary references, and rants about pop culture. But for a long time, due to the huge list of names involved with the band over the years, there have been various “supergroups” and side projects formed by ex-members. There’s Brix and the Extricated, featuring Brix Smith, brothers Steve & Paul Hanley, and Steve Trafford, Blue Orchids formed by founding members Martin Bramah and Una Baines, and Imperial Wax, formed by the members of the Fall’s final, most consistent lineup. But most recently, there’s been news of a brand new group, HOUSE Of ALL, perhaps the most definitive and deliberate Fall supergroup, made up of Bramah, the Hanley brothers, Imperial Wax guitarist Pete Greenway, and additional drummer Simon Wolsencroft, who originally served a tenure in the group in the 80s and 90s. That’s one hell of a lineup, aside from the absence of Craig Scanlon and Eleni Poulou you essentially have the Fall equivalent of The Avengers. So when there was news of a debut album releasing on 22nd April, I couldn’t not check out the singles.

Dominus Ruinea

This third single might not have the vast, grand presentation of a track like ‘Harlequin’, but there is still a lot to enjoy about it. Firstly, the double drum beat from Paul and Si actually has quite a nice, slightly sloppy feel in a way so it’s not too machine-like, with a decent topsy-turvy groove and odd time signatures. The main draw of this track for me is the guitars. Bramah and Greenway offer some pretty cool duelling guitar lines which, while maybe unremarkable as far as sonics and effects are concerned, do play some very nice riffs, a lot of which have a very nice, relaxed, almost cheerful feel, which makes this track sound pretty - dare I say it - charming, like sitting out on a sunny day reminiscing about the good times. The way that they add to it with some subtle synths in the chorus portions is nice, and of course you can always rely on Steve to hold down the fort on bass, even if he’s just doubling the guitars. The one thing I would say though is that, again, without the drama or grandiosity, or the linear, shifting structure of a track like ‘Harlequin’, it makes the fact it runs a bit low on ideas a little more obvious. There’s very little dropping things out, breakdowns, style/feel changes etc., and they stop adding anything new after around two minutes or so, and with a five-and-a-half minute run time, you probably should vary it up a bit. Vocally, I would say Martin does a fairly decent job, with a more laidback delivery both on the spoken verses and sung choruses, which along with the subtle inflection changes, add to the track’s previously mentioned charm. Then again, like with ‘Magic Sound’, the constant repetition of a single one line refrain in lue of a chorus can make it feel quite dirge-like and annoying, particularly with the shouted delivery of the back end. Luckily, the lyrics are pretty cool here and are a breath of fresh air from the repetitious instrumental, as good as it is. From what I can figure out, as a lot of the lyrics are deliberately obscure, they seem to be a classic case of poking at the structure of the political establishment and their various blunders, with references to Westminster, the home secretary, lords, dames and saints, in amongst various bits of eccentric phrasing. Although it’s certainly not done in a way that seems rebellious and edgy, but rather tongue-in-cheek, lending to the title which translates to ‘Lord of the Ruins.’ So overall really not bad. It’s a track with definite charm, some nice riffs and rhythms, and some entertaining lyrics. Maybe structurally it’s a bit one note and the chorus is slightly annoying, but it still comes out quite well regardless.

Harlequin Duke

Musically this thing is Fall all over, and unsurprisingly it sounds great. The star of the show for me is the groove, which has Steve Hanley’s belligerent, dirty bassline grinding underneath a hefty, stomping, drum beat, making the benefits of a two drummer lineup very clear. This is then complimented by some really cool, grandiose, slightly forlorn organ progressions, and a variety of wiry, psychedelic, and even bluesy guitar riffs courtesy of Greenway and Bramah, all of which work very well while providing a decent amount of variety. Not only is the music quintessentially Fall, but the vocals are too. Now obviously no one can replicate what Mark did, nowhere close, but Bramah holds the fort well enough for sure, with a vocal delivery at times stern, dramatically projected, and subtly sinister, which serves the track nicely. The lyrics are suitably descriptive and intriguing, concerning the titular character, ill, filled with stubbornness and apprehension, and performing a “dance against death” with many grim, gritty descriptions and obscure phrasings about “electromatic convulsions”, “necklaces of gouged out eyes”, “swollen faces”, “sardonic scramblings” and “cocaine on the doorbell”, while discussing his “uncharacteristically grim countenance.” There’s even a touching ode to Smith when Bramah suggests “maybe our Bingo-Master has returned.” So this is a pretty great track all things considered, a great, heavy, post-punk instrumental, compelling vocals and a suitably graphic, classically novelistic character portrait in the lyrics. The only main criticism I have really is that it does really, really, really sound like The Fall, which makes sense obviously, but I would’ve perhaps liked to hear something a little more original, especially considering how great these musicians are.

Magic Sound

The word I would maybe use to describe this track is mild, because the verdict I seem to be reaching is that, especially in comparison to ‘Harlequin Duke’, this track feels very inconsequential. Now again, I do quite like the really big, doubled up, stomping drum sound here, and I also think that the bassline Steve puts underneath it is pretty enjoyable and catchy too, with an almost jolly sound to it. The only problem is that when the guitar riff is put on top of it, you realise that this basically sounds like if The Fall tried to cover The Fratellis or interpolate ‘Parklife’ something. It’s the same inane, slightly uppity indie guitar riff (albeit with a bit more edge) played over the same stomping drums and lolloping bassline for five minutes, and it gets quite annoying after a while. If a Fall comparison must be made, think maybe ‘Glam-Racket’ without the grit. All that being said though I do enjoy the old-school organ sounds at points and as I’ve mentioned already, the rhythm section itself certainly isn’t bad. The vocals and lyrics really don’t help with the track’s sense of inanity either. Martin’s performance here isn’t nearly as dynamic, instead opting for a mostly shouted, almost bright delivery for the whole duration, which can feel a little off. Furthermore, the cheesy group vocals on the chorus (which incidentally is repeated ad nauseam, particularly in the last two minutes), sound quite irritating. Admittedly, the lyrics aren’t awful. They seem to discuss the lightning in a bottle moment when a band finds their sound and how cool that is, which is fine, and turns of phrase like the “Bay City Pistols” are quite entertaining. The main drawback is that these lyrics, at least to me, combined with all the irritating cheesiness on display already, kinda makes it sound like a song from a kids TV programme about budding musicians, which is not a comparison I think any band really wants to hear. Overall it’s not all bad, no, but it’s a real step down in my opinion for sure.

So given the quality of these singles, while my reviews may not be radiant, I’m still really looking forward to the album’s release to see what other tricks the guys have up their sleeves. However I do wonder whether or not the guys will be able to make a convincing case for their own originality, as brilliant as they are, because if not they may as well just be a Fall tribute band. Only time will tell.