"Feel the wrath of my Bombast!" exhorts
Smith on this follow-up to their groundbreaking
Wonderful and Frightening World of... the Fall, and this collection is ample proof of the pure confidence the group had at this time. Stompers like "Barmy," "What You Need," and the mighty "Gut of the Quantifier" are all led by
Brix Smith's twanging lead hooks, filled by distorted guitars and bludgeoning drums, on top of which
Smith rants with conviction. But it's the departures from this sound that mark the real interest here: The synth-driven "L.A." looks ahead to
the Fall's experiments with electronica; "Paint Work" is an impressionist piece interrupted by
Smith accidentally erasing over some of the track at home; and "I Am Damo Suzuki," a tribute to
Can's lead singer, which borrows its arrangement from several of that group's songs. The Fall sound mysterious, down-to-earth, and hilarious all at the same time. The CD reissue adds the singles "Cruiser's Creek" and "Couldn't Get Ahead" as well as their B-sides making this an essential purchase. ~ Ted Mills