Search - Fall :: The Light User Syndrome

Better than a lot of music out these days!

Mr N Forbes-warren | Newport, South Wales, UK | 05/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Fall released this perennial classic in 1998, and is the best to date of their recent work. Brix Smith reappears here and adds some interesting backing vocals, and performs well on SPINETRAK, which contains hints of French 1970s prog-punksters METAL URBAIN(anyone remember them?). DIY MEAT is traditional Fall - Smith rants about home improvements and BBC radio to a jazzed up, one-chord onslaught similar to HEX ENDUCTION HOUR-era Fall(C. 1981). A nonsensical and off-time German spoken track is also a delight; STAY AWAY(OLD WHITE TRAIN) is a great Johnny Paycheck cover- great original as well, as is their version of LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN(a Gene Pitney number, I believe), subtitled here LAST CHANCE TO TURN AROUND. Delving into weirdness and an almost dark, European Teutonic gothic sound(most notably on OLEANA, COLISEUM and the excellent CHEETHAM HILL) it picks up the pace at the end with SECESSION MAN, a very poppy little epistle which would have made a great A-side with sampled saxophones and tiunkling glockenspiel sounds cascading around 80s discopop keyboard effects. Wonderful stuff indeed. Let's be honest, you just can't beat them! Britain's most innovative and original band have struck again!"

Repetition pt. 3

J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 10/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"the music of The Fall is both engaging and off-putting...equal parts clever and brilliant mixed with the confounding and annoying. the casual fan of punk or post rock will probably be confused. and that my friends, may be the point. or maybe not. you decide. take a listen.

The Light Users Syndrome presents a bit of a fuller and more realized sound. the songs are quite strong and show the band in good spirits. this one has a more listener-friendly approach and it's melodies favour the pop side of things a little bit more so than many of their other releases up to this point in time."