Re-Mit

Album review

In the pre-release press for any given Fall album (and yes, there are well over 30 of them) leader Mark E. Smith issues either no comment or one cryptic slogan for fans to decipher. Bucking the trend, M.E.S. issued two talking points for their 2013 release Re-Mit, one being that he didn't quite care for the band's previous album (2011's Ersatz G.B. was "too flat") and two, that the group had "had enough and we're coming for you." That latter bit is quite the threat as the band membership here makes for one of the longest-standing lineups in the group's revolving-door-members history, but the crisp and yet extremely goofy Re-Mit is like an anti-culmination of all these points, filled with as many interludes as songs and more laughs than lyrics. Biggest laugh has to be the LCD Soundsystem shout-out "James Murphy is their chief/They swing their bullocks while they eat" which happens during "Irish," a throbbing monster that time-changes into a swinging -- although not bullocks swinging -- jazz-prog affair, the whole band turning on dime. The group is nothing short of amazing throughout and offers a crackling, attractive intro during the opening "No Respects," plus they do a wonderful impression of debut album Devo on the nod-along new waver dubbed "Victrola Time," all while Smith mumbles his way through the lyrics parade for what's arguably the least intelligible Fall album to date. Long stretches of the lyrics could be transcribed with "(growl)" and "(groans)," and then the aptly titled "Noise" gives up "Kiddies, as we get older, we must try and understand, people who are different from us" as if Smith has come to the end of his scrawled-up notebook. A confounding set of song sketches and hot riffs, this one belongs with 2005's Interim, 2001's Are You Are Missing Winner, and others that are considered "for hardcore fans only."

© David Jeffries /TiVo