Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Not too bad, but not super interesting.
I see why people love them
Simple hooks and inane lyrics repeated incessantly.
Very very long for what it is. This is the 3rd or 4th album they've had so far on this list and I think its reached the point where now I expect something more impressive. The idea of a third listen seems like punishment Its fine but its not exactly good.
Always a band better in mark e smiths mind than in reality. There are fun bits on this album but a lot of morose shouting. A band that a lot of chin strokers like. Really hard to love though.
Day594 - some say there’s more than one song on this album. but at least it’s long
Punk before it was punk leaves…much to be desired
This album hit the giddy heights of mehness. Forgot it was playing.
I know of this band. My ex was in their cult. This album is nothing more than okay at best. The 60s garage sound I like, but seems like they manage to diverge from it just enough to become 'meh'. It's a mix of good songs and terrible ones, but, ultimately, all were forgettable. Maybe I'm being harsh because my ex was a pretentious twat, but that's what it is. Music for pretentious twats. (And if that isn't convincing, my ex went to see Einstürzende Neubauten) I would not actively put this album on, but admittedly wouldn't turn it off either.
While I liked a lot of the instrumentals, especially the guitar, this music just isn’t it for me and I don’t understand how it can be it for others
Nope. Nope nope nope. Bunch of repetitive pretentious cockwaddle.
As with most of these post punk acts the vocal style is so free it breaks all notions of harmony and cohesiveness. A shame because the instrumentals are fine for the most part until it starts to drag at the end
Ok sound but hella boring. Something tells me this list is going to have a ton of these uk post punk bands...
Hyper prometteur au début mais très vite lassant avec des chansons trop longues sans changement de rythme.
Too discordant for me but I did like the bass parts.
I was not familiar with this band but it was cool to see how much they have influenced other band I am more familiar with. I could really hear it through several of the songs - notably (for me) was “My New House”.
There's some musical ideas on here that hit for me, but almost across the board the vocals are doing it in for me, both male and female. The vocals are operating on a very B-52s wavelength, but without it being entertaining and fun. I'm finding for me to like post-punk, it needs to have goth or new wave influences in it. When it's just sitting in a purely punk side, it always comes off as irritating, overly full of itself, and nauseating. It doesn't have the drive or joy that punk does, and doesn't have the melancholy of new wave or goth. It always feels like they just took punk, and removed an essential component, while adding grating dissonance. That said, like I said, there are some ideas that hit, particularly the song L.A. where that hits in a more goth/new wave direction. And you can definitely hear this album's influence, whether its Sleater-Kinney (three days in a row I've mentioned them. You'd think they're the only band I've listened to), Sonic Youth, or Gorillaz. But it's gonna be a no from me, dawg. There's nothing here that entertains me, quite a bit that annoys me, and at over an hour long, it's too much. Side note, sad I couldn't keep the 4-streak going. But I did get five 4s in a row!
enjoyed the listen but nothing really to add
Fontaine type beat
Started off strong - I was getting into it. Then towards the end the songs got incredibly repetitive and screechy as if they ran out of steam Hard to rate so I'll go down the middle and give 3 ⭐️
bin nie richtig in fahrt und in 80er Schrei-Punk inecho. liiht meh am eigne Mood wie das d buebe öppis falsch gmacht hend. Ih normale Situatione hetti sicher freud dran und denn würds 3 Moshpit attackene geh, aber hüt langets nur für 2.
hee vlt de 13 jährig, biz rockigeri neduzen wär ume gsi für das. irgendwie au na biz punky vibes. falls pönks wärid und es live konzert gid, wäri ume zu sound aber zum eifach gnüsse, eher njet. also 2 oder 3 anarchistischi verschiebigsdate für das. update. Ja es sind manchaster punks. aso chum gämmer ufgrundeti 3 antipünkt
Lite repetitiv, men ganska bra. 3
No thanks.
1. manzion - 1.5 2. barn - 1.5 3. barmy - 1.5 4. need - 1 5. child - 0 6. l.a.- 1 7. Vixen - 1.5 8. Ahead - 1 9. Gut - 0 10. House - 0 11. Paint - 1 12. Damo - 1 13. Yarbles - 1.5 14. Petty - 1 15. Rollin - 0 16. Creek - 0
Lovely, the sound felt so beautiful- magic
More generic rock; 2 hours is too long
Liked it
low average not much creativity
Meh
typical 80's punk. it's clear by the third song. they only know three chord progressions.
I almost gave this a 2. Glad I changed my mind.
Man, I feel like this could have been so great. Some pretty good moments, but they dont seem to last. 3/5
Spunky, vivid, alt-punk rock. Gives the Clash vibes. Some songs are boring but at its best it is inspired music. 3.8
This is the Fall I knew and never quite connected with. It's a thing, very British and a cult rather than a musical following.
Meh forgettable
I don't think about The Fall that much, but whenever I hear them I love it so much. This album is super solid front to back. Catchy post-punk at it's finest.
# 541 : This Nation’s Saving Grace by The Fall This Nation’s Saving Grace is often hailed as a post-punk essential, but for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. The album has a raw, almost chaotic energy that makes it feel like the band was writing the songs as they recorded them. There’s a certain trashy charm to it—rough around the edges, but not without its moments of fun. That said, the lack of technical polish and structure made it hard to stay engaged. It feels more like a snapshot of a moment than a timeless piece of music. I’m not sure how many people would still genuinely enjoy this today. In the end, this one lands firmly on my personal list of “1001 Albums to AVOID Before You Die.” If you have to listen to this, watch out for : Barmy Listened : 08/08/2025
Reminds me of ought Fav: My new house, L.A, What you need, I am Dano Suzuki, Petty Thief(Lout)
Really enjoyed the opening track but didn't feel much grabbed me strongly after that. Had a lot that I could get into (post punk sound, Manchester accents, and so on) but I think it would take a few listens to really appreciate.
I will base my review on the cassette and CD tracklist. With my second album from The Fall, I am slowly realizing that my feelings with This Nation's Saving Grace are roughly the same as they were with The Infotainment Scan. There are some genuinely catchy guitar riffs and punchy rhythm section compositions throughout the record, complemented by some light synthesizer fare to add to the manic nature. Tracks like "Bombast", "L.A.", and "Paintwork" have such a grooving, robust musical foundation to build upon. Yet, once again, I find Mark E. Smith as a vocalist to be someone I respect more than like. He does his damndest to invoke the grimy urban decay that he must have felt persisted through England at the time. But his thick, slurry accent, thoroughly abstract lyrics, and liberal use of regional slang left me at a distance from enjoying him in front of some genuinely intriguing experimental instrumentation in the background. What doesn't help matters is that this album runs longer than The Infotainment Scan did, and when you're struggling to connect with this band on a deeper level because of the frontman, then those extra minutes become difficult to bear. I still consider The Fall to be a good band, and I think this album is decent. Just be sure to temper your expectations.
I love music from this era, and recently threw positive reviews at Duran Duran and The The. But for some reason, The Fall could never interest me. Maybe I miss the point, but it’s not particularly defiant, passionate or even fun; it’s just mediocre.
Yeah that’s not for me my friend. Too much wailing and thrashing.
cruiser's creak, rollin danny, and my new house are great, album has a good start and good end, with only 1 song in the middle being ok
Did not like at all and only made it half way through.
Started off strong but was too long and too much of the same. Really thought id like this more than I did
Cooking in some songs ngl but also a lot of mid. Favourite Song: Gut of the Quantifier Honourable Mention: Cruiser's Creek
4/5 this shit is gas
Not bad, 80’s was a great time but not sure I would listen to it again
Really good post-punk album.
Haven't heard this album or this band previously that I'm aware of.
It's fine. As with many non-mainstream albums on this list, it's obviously a product of it's time, but devoid of hooks to draw me in.
Songs just seem to have a guitar riff that repeats infinitely while a few words are spoken over it. Honestly, I was ready for it to be over by song 4, but it did get a bit better towards the second half. I guess I'd classify it as art-punk. I just can't tell if I don't like it, or if I just don't like all of it at once.
Eventually listened to this. I was strangely hooked quite early on. I've never been the biggest fan of The Fall but I am gradually warming to them. Good album.
2.5
Apart from Mansion and L.A., none of the tracks really spoke to me. Never been into UK punk or post-punk and this album didn't really do anything to make me enjoy the genre more. Some songs are groovy but the production is lacking, and the same could be said about the singer's vocals
Somewhat off the beaten path, but very interesting.
Cranky and fun.
I did not hate the music, and at times quite liked it, but I just cannot stand the vocals. Especially with a runtime of over an hour, the instrumentals can not safe it completely.
This is what you get when your great idea while under the influence comes to fruition. I wonder what they sound like when they’re sober?
I've never heard of this band. Granted, I'm sure there are tons of mid-80's Brit punk bands that have flown under my radar, but it still surprises me that this generator manages to churn out something that I've not heard of in a genre I actually generally like. Anyway, I don't know that I'll have a ton of comments for this record beyond just that it's decent enough. I don't know that I feel the need to dive into a second spin through it, but I like it alright. Maybe this record has a cult following for fans of the genre? I don't know, but I could see it. For me, it's probably the definition of a 3-star record. Listenable and even enjoyable, but not compelling enough for repeat listens. 3/5
Spikey angular guitar noise, bouncy grinding bass and snarling sarcastic vocals. What a horrible racket! And there's an incoherent mumbling crank drunkenly rambling all over it! Stupid rock and roll perfection.
buen rocanrol
4/5
It’s fine
Interesting.
Fairly cool punk album, with lots of originality and cool sounds. I'm not sure I have a ton to say about it, but might go back to this one. High 3/5.
Not really my thing. Could enjoy it a bit as background music but wouldn’t be something I would choose. Have found some of the songs getting stuck in my head a bit though. Fav song: Mansion Least fav: Couldn’t Get Ahead
This is very very shit. Not a huge amount of it was enjoyable and some of the skits / talking parts were an ear attack. Specific rating - 1.4 Fav song - barmy Least fav - spoilt Victorian child
Every song seemed to have one too many things going on (maybe that's what happens when you get through so many band members). All a bit too chaotic and noisy for me to really like. Favourite song: Petty (Thief) Lout Least: Bombast
Decent 80s punk album
6 years on from live at the witch trials they appear to have mostly abandoned the freewheeling air that was about the only they had going for them, while mark smith has committed to keeping his vocals solidly in the "forgettable to grating" range
Challenging the concept of singing.
i, too, was a spoilt victorian child
One of The Fall's better albums but still not a band for me. Never really got the Manc angst
Man, I love this album. Probably The Fall's best. Yes, Mark E Smith can't sing. Yes, it's repetitive. But it does something for me that I can't quite explain.
2,4/5
No. Just no. There's a bit of a riff and some mumble talking on top of it. Rollin Dany is the only thing here that sounds like a song, and it's a cover.
I'm sure this vibes for someone but I'm not one of those people.
Too long and not particularly compelling.
This one has an extra cup of smarmy, British tea to it... which I quite enjoy!
Easy enough to listen to
Maybe a little harsh but I couldn’t wait for this to end. Didn’t do anything for me.
Insufferably boring and repetitive
Great Fall Album. Loved every track, especially Gut of the Quantifier (what a song title!). There’s always something interesting and engaging in almost all Fall albums. As John Peel said - ‘ always the same, always different’.
Solides Rock Album mit rauchen aber unspektakulären Songs.
Good songs, but a forgettable listening experience.
Ehhhh I don't know about this one. The lyrics were indeterminable and the music itself didn't make up for the lack of coherency. It mostly consists of repeating loops with some noises placed over top. I've found that these post-punk bands are all just very mediocre sounding to me and this falls in family. Standout songs were "Vixen" - it got a little bluesy here and the music didn't sound like absolute crap - "Rollin' Danny" - which is a cover.... and "Cruiser's Creek" I don't think I needed to hear this before my death. I really don't like the vocals or the lead singers voice/style. It sounds very rough and goes on for way too long. Really flip flopped between a 1 or 2 star rating on this one but went with a 2 for some ok moments and not being totally irredeemable, but I won't be revisiting any of it. It was weird, they were trying to be weird and that's cool but its not my favorite.
I've fallen three times now and I can't get up
Derivative
Mjög gott stöff! Hrátt shit.
Tæi elskar póstönk, þetta er frábær plata. Á að vera poppaðasta plata þeirra, en rugludallurinn Mark E. Smith passar að það fari nú ekki út í neinar öfgar. Besta lag: Barmy.
My only previous exposure to The Fall was their debut. It had it's charm of course. The lo fi post punk rebelling against new wave, synth pop and hair metal. It's cool, and it fit a niche. But how much of that can you really listen to? "This Nation's Saving Grace" is a welcome change in direction, mixing the rough, off key nihilism with just enough accessibility to keep it interesting. The addition of Brix Smith seems to have really worked for them. It's just a much more striking album, and feels like The Stooges trying to be Joy Division. Or maybe vice versa? The Smiths appear to be rebelling against their own lives, with two tracks about moving house and painting, sounding like sarcastic admissions of domestic life. Contrast this to a song like "L.A." which captures both the sexiness and artificiality of Los Angeles. Cap it all off with a tribute to Can frontman Damo Suzuki and I now get the appeal of this band a lot more. Of course it influenced James Murphy. I can't unheard that now.
This was all over the place. I did like a lot of it, but as an entire album, it just didn't work for me.
Shoegaze punk. Never heard of the band or this album before. Not necessarily a bad album but didn’t resonate with me. I’m not cool enough to like this album although I’m guessing more than 50% of people who like this album are to be pretentious than actually like it. Little hooks or melody. Very repetitive
Good sounding instrumentally but Mark E Smiths voice fucking grates me, absolute shot vocals but at least good instrumental
i REALLY wanted to like this more. it just was too repetitive and kind of annoying. this is a very high one star almost 2, and i fully get why people enjoy this. it’s just not for me
Don't love it; don't hate it. It's all right. 2.5 stars.
I understand how this album could be influential. It has some really good ideas and interesting things going on. However though I felt as if the album was too bloated, too long, too repetitive, and just didn’t hook me.
The Good: We are being saved! The Bad: It is lacking grace… The Ugly: The scratches on my head while I have been searching the intrawebs as to where NAT-ION’S is located?… I don’t normally start writing reviews while I am actually listening to the album. This is due to the simple fact that, normally, I will listen twice to an album, and frequently I start understanding what makes an album interesting on the second listen… This was not the case with yesterday’s album (PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake…), nor is it the case with this waste of vinyl… To make things worse, this is the second The Fall album I’ve had the displeasure of having to sit through… and this one is 1 hour long. Why am I listening to this album? What makes it so special? Could it be that there are about 5 persons in the whole world who appreciate this, and ass-hat Dimery is 2 of them? If I want to listen to someone blaring into a microphone without much emotions, nor desire to really be there, then this would be my thing… and repetitive guitars… nice… it’s a punk version of techno music… So, I will do my job to better prepare people for the shit that is the Fall by downgrading their efforts to 1* Shoot me…
Overall: 7/10 I'm having a tough time with this one. On the one hand, it's unique and there's some jams on here that I really loved. The lyrics are always pretty great and I love the guitar work. On the other hand, the songs get very strange and avant-garde at times. I love weird music but for some reason it's a bit of a turn off here. I also liked the short song Mansion that opened the album and it got me excited for what seemed like it was gonna be a goth rock album. Not at all. I don't know how to feel at all but I liked more than I disliked. I may need to listen to this one a few more times. Update: My second listen was much better, I think I mostly get what they're going for now. I still think it'll grow on me with time but for now I really like it. Fav Song: Spoilt Victorian Child Least Fav Song: What You Need
A relatively post-punk record, this is one that I really wanted to like more than I did. There’s a fair bit of goth influence on this album, but I’m not sure it’s the particular flavour of that that speaks to me. It’s got all the classic elements, chaotic guitar riffs, driving basslines that have no shortage of groove, but the vocals just don’t really do it for me. I’m not even really sure how to articulate what exactly I dislike about the vocals on this record, but I just don’t vibe with it. Half the songs almost sound like the Beatles trying to play gothwave? Not sure, won’t be listening again. 2* for the effort.
In the first five minutes of putting this album on, I was like "hey, we might be on to something really cool here". But then as the album kept going it just felt... repetitive and lazy. I feel like this was so close to something I could've really liked but they just phoned it in instead... and it kind of seems like the phoning it in instead of genuine effort was their whole artistic statement. Which, fair enough, whatever. But I feel like a disappointed mom/teacher/coach watching a talented kid squander their potential. 6/10
I didn't get why The Fall and Mark E Smith were ever rated so highly, and listening to the album again after all these years, nothing has changed my mind, so overrated it's unreal.
I had never heard of this band and found this album to be terrible from just about every angle. I never want to listen to any of these songs again.
Трудно уловимые нотки сарказма. Но и как постпанк интересные.
I need to dive into their discography
Not really into punk
You can tell it had some influence in post punk and no-wave at the end of the 80s, that bass is really cranked up and the drums hit really hard, just a shame that a lot of this is uninteresting to me, many songs seem to blow by because they just repate the same elements and the lyrics are rather ambiguous or non-sensical, not that either are really a problem on their own but the execution here makes a couple of this songs bland despite how loud and agressive they are. On top of that, it's really long, and the most interesting and experimental cuts on here seem to be the shortest. Good album, but i don't love this.
This album is loud as fuck, and repetitive as fuck too. To the point where it gets a little cerebral. This is the sonic equivalent of getting hit in the head with various instruments over and over again by loud and rowdy british men. The instrumentals are incredibly weighty and have such a keen goth darkness to them, while being remarkably catchy in their simpleness. Some songs are absolutely fried to hell in the best way, take Bombast, Barmy, What You Need, Couldn't Get Ahead. There's a genius in the simplicity, the brattiness, the fun of these songs. There's some animalistic traits in Mark's vocals, often times coming through in the way of wild grunty shouts. Rollin' Dany is a true rockabilly rollercoaster of a track. Garage-Post-Punk-Blues and fried to shit amps. Love it. L.A. is probably my fav track, goth excellence.
It's good but it varies so much sonically that it doesn't form a cohesive album.
The kind of angry young men I can get on board with!
Okay I REALLY want to like this. It feels weirdly close. However it's maybe just too uneven? Long? I'm having trouble getting any song to stick with me right now, but it's close.
Started off thinking this was okay. Slowly started hating it more and more as the album went on until I just couldn't really finish it. Music shouldn't annoy you!
Great instrumentals, but the album overall was quite ramshackle and didn't really stick with me. This'll need several more listens to live up to the hype for me, I'm afraid.
I didn’t hate the entire thing I guess. But god some of it was just annoying and extremely repetitive.
What the hell was that??? Straight garbage from beginning to end. The vocals are a drunken, mumbling mess, with "L.A." being a highlight in how annoying Mark E. Smith's singing can be. The backing instrumentations aren't much better - at their best they're basic and repetitive; at their worst they're competing with the vocals in being as annoying as possible (the harmonica on Couldn't Get Ahead somehow wins that one). I didn't pay attention to the lyrics, muffled and slurred as they were, but I don't think I'm missing much if Spoilt Victorian Child is anything to go by. Dogshit. Just pure, concentrated booty.
I was very interested in the beginning of this album but it started to fall apart a little bit after. It went into chaos, but it did not become interesting chaos at any time which disappointed me a bit. EDIT: Having listened to a bunch more post punk in this challenge and more of The Fall, I understand better what they were going for. However. It is still too long. Bumping to a 3.
An absolute tour-de-force from one of the finest British bands ever. Mark e smith cannot sing. The band can barely play, but yet it somehow all comes together in a collection of powerful songs that are not soon forgotten…
did not finish. got (almost) an hour in and did NOT mess with it (there was over an hour left). decided it wasn’t worth my time. was just okay at best, maybe disc 2 would have been better. but i guess i’ll never know. 2/5.
This album seems to take a lot from the Clash and give a lot to the White Stripes. Likable enough, but I’m in no hurry to play it again.
They seem to be of the mind that if they create some bad music the good will sound even better. They might be right. 2.5
This one's pretty bad. Irritating singer, repetitive music, no clear talent anywhere that I could see, far too long an album. Why do I have to listen to it before I die?
I wish I liked this more. It started good, but lost my intrest as it went on
So it was a weird phenomenon...I would check song names because I liked them. Then feeling like a lot of time would go by I would check the next song and somehow only one song had passed. I don't know if it was me or the album. I liked it, but then felt like it went forever. Not sure what that says
This is our third album by The Fall. I didn't care for their 1979 debut, Live at the Witch Trials. 1993's Infotainment Scan was better. So bouncing back to 1985 for this one. It's funny because sometimes if I don't like a band I'll be like "I don't know what the fuck he's singing about. blah!". And then other times if I like a band I'll be like "I don't know what he's singing about but I don't care, I like it anyway". So I'm not sure if the lyrics always matter as much as the vibe of the music. I mostly have no idea what he's singing about but I like it! Favorites: Bombast, Couldn't Get Ahead, Gut of the Quantifier, My New House.
I was skeptical when I saw a The Fall show up this morning because I assumed they’re punk, and most punk is so banal to me. Well they are punkish, but this album is more based in sass and groove. Far better than I could’ve hoped for. I really dig this!
So I actually really liked this. I only listened through the Yarbles song because that’s where the original album ended. Barmy was my favorite (and weird coincidence that BARM was a Connections word today! I’ve never seen that word before and had it twice in one day). But I liked the lyrics and all the guitar riffs and for post punk, this is pretty damn good stuff.
Baš ne volim ovakvu statičnu loše isproduciranu muziku koja nigdje ne vodi nego stoji na mjestu.
The Goth-52s
Spooky rock opening is a bad omen. This has a Velvet Underground/Lou Reed feel to it, Talking Heads too. What You Need is annoying, it's just the bassline over and over and over and over and talking. The Fall has three albums on this list...this list is too British and too middle aged. There's a rockabilly/Chris Isaak/David Lynch soundtrack vibe to Vixen, must have been the time period. This is terrible, repetitive post punk nonsense. This feels very dated. It's the kind of exhausting album that rock critics fall all over themselves to praise but that no one really likes. It's the music of college sophomores. This is a long album as well. You may be Damo Suzuki, but you are also terrible. I am counting the minutes until this is over.
pretty good!! a little repetitive at times, but overall good!
This was another one I found a little tricky to evaluate. At times it was really good. At other points it was close to terrible. The good parts were far more frequent than the bad ones, but man, those were hard to get through. Musically, I found the compositions interesting. It often felt like the bass was the lead instrument, or that the guitar was playing a bass part. As a result, most of the songs had one consistent groove line persisting the whole way through. While it might seem like this would get old in songs that often lasted over 4 minutes long, the band did a solid job of taking the line to different places as each song went on. Probably the best example of this was Paintwork, which was really good for the entire 6:38 runtime. Of course, it wasn't always a success. Some of the earlier tracks, in my opinion, were bad. I wanted to turn them off/skip them and had doubts about the album as a whole when they were on. I'm not sure if the bad songs were less frequent as the album went on, or if I just got more used to the music as it went on. Either way, I thought the album got stronger after the first few tracks. Other negatives included the vocals and the album length. While some of the tracks felt stronger than others, many times the vocals consisted of barking/weirdly emphasized phrases that didn't add much to the music. With the compositions generally being simpler, it meant there was more room to focus on the vocals and hear those details. Even if they weren't necessarily bad, I didn't think they made the songs better. As to length, the album was pretty long. It's partly because I listened to the extended version running over an hour, but there were definitely songs that felt like they could've been cut to make a better overall record (probably some of the tracks I mentioned above for being notably bad). In sum, this album had some nice highs and some very low lows. There was some stuff in the middle, but the wide variation makes it hard for me to come up with an overall rating. I thought I would rate this lowly early on, but I think it deserves higher having gone the whole way through. Given there was more good than bad on here, I'll put it in good territory. Overall: 3.25/5
An okay album, I liked Mansion, Barmy and To NK Roach men: Yarbles.
The Fall are my most scrobbled band, so it's fair to say this is going to get a high score from me. This is the second LP with Brix Smith in the band, and continues a trend where The Fall (and Mark E. Smith) got a bit smartened up, moved in a more accessible directed and event had a few minor chart hits. It's a great album (I bought it on vinyl upon its release), and one of a run of great albums in what I suppose was phase 2 of the Fall - a bit less ramshackle sounding but with a reasonably stable line-up that was recognisably a band rather than Smith with a bunch of musicians.
It's a nice post-punk record. While an easy listen, it also gets weird at times, and the lyrics are very poignant and eerie at times. Its sound is also very trademark UK post-punk, Smith's singing nails it perfectly. The sound is pretty consistent, which makes for a cohesive record but also a bit repetitive at times. Instrumentally it's pretty interesting, I liked the drumming and how weird the guitar lines get at points, for example at the end of "I Am Damo Suzuki" (which is also one of the weirdest tracks). The way they play with the effects is also nice. I didn't quite like the female vocals, I felt they didn't fit that well. My favourite track was "Couldn't Get Ahead", which brings the energy up and is one of the catchiest of the album.
It's kinda half baked, sometimes they have something but it goes no where Will I listen to again: 6%
Mansion 3.3 Bombast 3.4 Barmy 3.3 What You Need 3.3 Spoilt Victorian Child 3 L.A. 3.2 Gut of the Quantifier 3.1 My New House 3 Paint Work 3.2 I Am Damo Suzuki 3 To Nkroachment: Yarbles 3.2 Score: 3.181818182
There were a couple songs okay enough to keep this from a 1. I don’t get the appeal of listening to someone unintelligibly mumble over the same beat for 5+ minutes
Atonal garbage.
I liked this album a lot, kind of reminded me of Fontaines D.C.. It's a pretty good blueprint for post-punk. They meander around a riff and let it breath and really settle into your brain, but in a way that's a lot more enjoyable than something like Dexys Midnight Runners. My favorites are probably Paintwork, My New House, Bombast and maybe L.A.. Great album start to finish.
In Paintwork I hear Wilco and Kurt vile and Courtney Barnett. I like that garage indie and soft punk kind of sound coming through. I also hear Stones, Velvet Underground, Elliot Smith, The Clash, some Kinks, and a little Leonard Cohen too. I like the vocals for how unbothered/untroubled they are delivered. But the suspense of the instrumentation makes you feel like he could flip at any moment.
It's alright I guess. Not super fond of it. Why do we need two albums by The Fall on this list again?
Couple of really good tracks, I like the jazz influence hip hop used to have. Kind of monotone rapping of the lyrics, not much energy. Good album, not great.
It's good
I usually don't like post punk, but that kept it pretty interesting. Some electronics mixed in and performative vocals kept it listenable. Not bad. 2.6/5 - > 3/5
5/5. Never would I expect to give a post-punk album a 5 out of 5. A 3 was generous usually. But this one actually sounds like an album, and especially can see the influence that they took from along with the inspiration they provided to future bands. This is a 90s album through and through released 5 years before. The vocals are intentionally jarring but with the garage-rock sound it creates an air of punk because the thing about being punk is that you have to care a little bit, otherwise you are just an anarchist. And this is that nice balance of wanting to make enjoyable music while also not conforming to the standard. In other post punk albums it feels in spite of the standard instead of challenging it, and this album finds that balance. Best Song: L.A., Bombast, Mansion, Couldn't Get Ahead
Busy. They had a unique sound and I wanted to like it but they were just a bit too unpolished and meandered too much in a lot of songs. Lead singer talking in short phrases for much of the song isn’t very interesting.
I liked the instrumental components in this. The repetitive, strained lyrics made some of it a tough listen though. Would need to be in a specific mood.
Toca hoy escuchar una banda que tengo agendada hace tiempo para darle escucha consciente. Post-punk colgado, bailable de a momentos, pero introspectivo y oscuro al fin. Lo imagino para viajar en transporte público o amenizar cualquier trayecto. Gracias por la presentación. Hasta mañana.
Why did I need to listen to this?
I haven't really given these guys a chance before - not sure why. I really liked this one.
Falls flat without a saving grace. 2.5/5
Repetitive and dull - I appreciate some will love stuff like this but it’s not for me. Can’t see why it’s on the list.
5/10…post punk / madchester
An interesting album but only middle of the road for me.
For some reason I have always had a thing for three things in music: a certain rawness that makes it more intimate and real. A feeling that the lyrics have some value, or at least the way the groove itself unfolds, and the bands own connection to what they put out. Maybe that is why I always had a thing for punk. It so often has these three elements, unapologetically. I sense all three of these things in The Fall and along with things like how it changes up and keeps things fresh and has good variety, how it veers outside of punk and back in... This is, despite the lead singers sometimes sounding drunk, makes this band rather special.
Early gritty Brit Punk.
Reminds me a bit of the Sex Pistols or the Clash. Not sure how I never heard them back in the 80s. An edgy UK punk vibe. I actually enjoyed it and would probably listen to it again.
I’ve enjoyed discovering new bands. I’ve never heard of this one, but I liked it.
Yet another album I feel like I’d really like if they had literally any other vocalist. I turned it off on “My New House”. But the backing tracks are great.
It's actually incredible how he could sing so far off the beat so consistently. Was the rest of the band in the same room? Still kinda rocked though tbh.
Started off wondering if this was a 5 star for me. By the middle everything got more annoying. Felt more like noise than music.
The Wiki has this listed as "Post-Punk", which I can understand why it has that label. The singer wants it to be punk, but the band insists on something more pop. The combo is not really for me. There wasn't anything too terrible on this album, but nothing inspiring either. L.A. is a decent enough add to the 1001 playlist. But the album as a whole gets ~ 2 Stars
Really well recorded. Great sound.
Punk B52s
Not really my thing. Kind of forgettable
My third album by the Fall and hoping it’s the last. My problem with this band is the instrumentation is really good, even great in parts. I cannot stand the vocals. All 3 albums I’ve heard sound like the vocals were recorded in a different time zone than the rest and it’s very jarring to me.
I don't know much. but now I know he's excited about his new house.
Not for me. 1/5
Just alright, maybe I'll have to give it another go though, not much really stood out for me. Vocals were kinda bad. Just a mid tempo 80s punk sound
The Fall and This Nation’s Saving Grace, better with a female involved. Some weird, some good, some both. Worst song (and it’s not that bad, just too long) is the single Couldn’t Get Ahead. Strong (twofer) finish with Rollin’ Dany and Cruiser’s Creek. Based on how far we’re into the List, how many albums they have, and the fact that it’s compiled by a Brit, I think we’ll be listening to The Fall again. (2.9*s)
Certainly better than the previous album entry on the list from The Fall. Much more coherent and put together. I can see the influence this band may have had on the punky alt-rock scene and bands like Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, The Faint, Moving Units, etc. probably give them credit. Could have shaved down the songs on TNSG and the record would have been better. Adding in Brix was a plus for the band as she brought some good guitar riffs and lead support. "Paintwork" lands top track spot for me. I didn't struggle through this one but also won't return to it on purpose...1.95 stars.
I'm not sure what about This Nation's Saving Grace made it something I need to listen to before I die or why The Fall has 3 albums on this list. The prior entries have mostly been mediocre British punk. This album was more of the same with no stand out tracks for me. Some of the songs were redundant and annoying at times. Overall it landed firmly in the "yawn" category where I'm not sure why this deserves an entry. Any favor I had with The Fall has been eroded by having to listen to 3 relatively mediocre albums already. I'd vote to remove this one personally. 2.16 stars
If this is the nation's saving grace, then what a repetitive nation it must be. The music is listenable but the songs get boring fast.
Not much grabbed me with this one. Very forgettable.
A very strange album. Sometimes the repetition works against it, sometimes it is magical. Paintwork is my favorite.
Really thought this was cool! Very original and unique
An awful album. Every song was so repetitive, both lyrically and musically. Give a group of 10 year olds a month and they could come up with a better album, even if they didn’t know how to play instruments.
Dude we heard you the first time
☀︎moins pire que ce que je pensais ☀︎eww british ☀︎tellement répétitif
I like this kind of music, and The Fall in general, but this was kind of just...there?
I wasn’t really familiar with The Fall before this, as evidenced by me thinking they were Britpop. Bit of Lou Reed, bit of The Cramps in the guitar. Not bad.
Honestly kind of a disappointment after the last The Fall album we got on here - The Infotainment Scan definitely felt more cohesive, and here there's so many points where the lyrics are so background you can barely tell centre there and the music just becomes the same thing over and over. Not in a dub, hypoxic loop kind of way, more like a bored, noodling kind of way. I hope this makes sense, in not sure it does, but this is much less of an album I would want to come back to.
Pretty cool
Fun enough to listen but not something I'd really come back to. I liked some songs here, such as Paintwork and I Am Damo Suzuki. I disliked some others and I felt indifferent about a bunch of them. Its kind of weird that this band is hugely influential yet gets little to no attention from most people. I can admire it for what it's done but it is not something I'll listen to often. Maybe a track here and there.
Not for me, second half was a bit better
A hypnotic, droney, mumbly mess. I love every minute of it.
I liked the music. I like the genre. I also like the repetitive nature of the songs. The album won't be one of my top favorites. But it's worth listening to again. 4/5
Lost me, started off strong
Reminds me of when I used to go to the pub and they had open mic night. There was always that one table which was obviously the bands family and friends, while everyone else didn't give a s*** and hoped the next band was better.
Classic Mark
Nah
Feels like The Fall are a “Mandela Effect” situation for me because I simply did not know they existed until early last year and it seems like they have been around forever and are wildly influential?? No one told me?? Where have I been?? This is good but I can already tell I need to focus up because so much of it is blending together and just feels like one long song haha. Paintwork > L.A. > My New House > Barmy > Couldn’t Get Ahead > Cruisers Creek > Bombast > Pretty Thief Lout > To Nk Roachment Yarbles > What You Need > Rollin Danny > Small Victorian Child > I Am Damo Suzuki > The Vixen > Gut of the Quantifier > Mansion Yea I dig a lot of this but feel maybe The Fall are best served as one song in a nice eclectic playlist as opposed to a whole album because sixteen tracks in a row of the same kinda drum and bass chugging sound is maybe too much? I dunno it's also hard to come into an album cold like this, I need more time to let it grow on me and seep into my bones but sometimes we just don't have that time. But was good. Good album. Thanks.
really thought the singer was saying g “sparkletts are in jail” before I realized the song was called “spoilt Victorian child” even knowing that he’s saying…. I still hear sparkletts are in jail. the thing is, this genre of music was done better by others!!
I would love to see a biopic of Mark E Smith. I ♥️ The Fall and I could hardly be later to the party. Great album. I love this kind of shit. Cynical Manchester drunks whose lives were changed by rock n roll. Punk rock, to be specific. Never heard this particular album before now and am retroactively embarrassed. Love it!
I'm not sure I've ever heard of or listened to The Fall before, so I'm surprised to see that we have at least two of their albums in this collection (including this one). It'll be interesting to see if their earlier album sounds like this one, but I'm assuming it must have some other hook because this is *not* a particularly entertaining or distinctive set of songs, kind of a garage band version of something like The Clash mixed with maybe Deep Purple and a bit of Iggy Pop sprinkled in? That doesn't really encapsulate them, I know, but I didn't really find myself drawn to their avant-garde-esque quirkiness, I'll admit. It's a bit hard to choose from along the largely undistinguished morass in this album, but I thought "Barmy" and "L.A." stood out a bit, and the occasional tracks (like "Vixen") with Brix Smith's vocals were a nice change of pace; I wanted to enjoy "Paint work", especially given all the accolades and chatter about how it developed/accreted, but other than a certain "Uncle Meat" Zappa-like aspect, it didn't really do much for me. I *did* enjoy reading, though, that James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem fame became obsessed with this album, and it even led him to embrace and appreciate abstract art as a result. I don't think I have the patience to listen to this album enough to have similar revelations, but I can see/hear a bit what he must have meant.
Never listened to the Fall much and liked this one a lot, esp the Valley of the Dolls quote repeated in LA--nice.
Another album I have never heard of, and a band I have only ever heard the name of, I think. Surprised that this is from 1985, I thought they were a 2000's or later band. On listening, I see I have already heard Live at the Witch Trials, which I did not like. For this, I found it unobjectionable until Paintwork, at which point something snapped and the repetitive tunes went from being just boring to hard to tolerate, dropping it to one star. Mumbly, muted, tedious. Too many songs, most of them too long.
Can't go wrong with British post punk
Post Punk, ben benieuwd. Instrumentaal klinkt het best vet. Barmy heeft gewoon een heel lekker gitaarlijntje dat ik graag vaker hoor. En dan de zang irriteert me niet. Wel veel distortion, maar niet te veel? Tot nu toe kan ik het best hebben eigenlijk. Eigenlijk valt het me sowieso op dat er lekker gitaar en bass lijntjes zijn. Instrumentaal bevalt dit album me echt heel goed. Zang boeit me niet zo en ik kan me niet goed voorstellen dat er mensen zijn die daar deze muziek voor luisteren. Maar de vibe en instrumentale stukken klinken lekker! Weet je wat het is; ik denk dat ik deze band snap. Ook door te lezen dat ze later meer de elektronische kant op gingen... Dit is een soort proto techno! Bijna elk nummer pakken ze een loopje of een riffje en daar bouwen ze hun nummer verder op uit. En dat werkt voor mij. Ik hou ontzettend van techno en elektronische muziek, en dit is een soort van voorloper voor die muziek. Funny, nooit gedacht dat ik enige plezier uit post-punk zou halen maar ik snap het nu een soort van! Moet wel zeggen; de zanger is niet best en voor mij echt het allerzwakste punt van het album. Pfoee, album duurt wel ontzettend lang zeg... Ok ik was oprecht best down voor dit album, vond het prima vermakelijk; maar toen duurde het gewoon nog een half album. Ik kan maar zo lang naar deze zanger luisteren... Alsjeblieft, laat m ophouden? Hij begint met het nummer meer als een dronken gast te klinken die weigert om de microfoon terug te geven bij een karaoke avond. Nee het begon goed, ik ben uiteindelijk zo ontzettend klaar met dit album en deze band, dejezus wat een zit was dit. Maar het begin was interessant en ik blijf bij mn standpunt over dat dit absoluut wat dingen uit de techno en elektronische muziek pakt. Maar dat allemaal had prima verpakt kunnen worden in een album van 40 minuten in plaats van bijna een half uur langer... FAVO: Barmy, Spoilt Victorian Child, Rollin'Dany
Not bad British punk band.
This album lacks what at least "The Infotainment Scan" has, which was some decent instrumental work. Both, however, are plagued by boring vocals.
As a fan of punk rock....these songs are to long. I can't stay interested. After a couple of min they loose me. Definitely good, but their was a lot that could have been trimmed off this album
I didn't find this as unpleasant as some other post-punk I've listened to, but I didn't connect with it at all. It was just sort of buzzy and too low tempo for me.
A hard listen
it is ok
Living in my small home town, I recorded a few tracks off this from Peel. It was like having fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, dark, mysterious and difficult to comprehend. Then I moved to the big city and felt like Indiana Jones when I found a copy in a second hand shop. Ah, callow youth.
British post-punk is weird. It felt like ‘50s clean guitar phenom Dick Dale went on a Punk bender this was the hangover-next-morning performance. I wanted to dislike it, yet, I found myself vibing it. Songs like What You Need and Spoilt Victorian Child were repetitive, but in a good way. I kept getting flashbacks of watching Dr. Who on PBS as a kid when LA came on (maybe it was played on an episode). The female vocals on Vixon were not unwelcome, and it reminded me of BJM. Couldn’t Get Ahead reminded me of the Zombie rock featured on Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire. Favorite track was the vibey LA. I don’t know how often I would look for this one but I could definitely take this trip again!
Random thoughts: * Drone-y and almost all the songs were indistinguishable. They did have a touch of Velvet Underground. * The last 2 songs were interesting since they incorporated some different musical styles. * Julian suffered through this with me on a road trip and he will not be listening to this again and he agreed with my 2-star rating. He really wanted to rate it but I wanted to add the comments first.
As many albums as Guided By Voices? Twice in one week for us, and I am as delighted as I was first time. I always jump at the chance to use "Mancunian" in a sentence. I guess I'm spoilt. If I didn't have Spotify to help me, I wouldn't catch a word. "L." "A." was about it. Good job, Fall.
I’m Barmy for Barmy. Brix made this the more accessible than most Fall albums but I was always on board anyhow.
I liked this better than the last Fall album — actually wasn't a bad thing they were served so close together. I still wasn't smitten, the repetitive riffs and parts and themes get wearying. One for the "appreciate more than like" list, and it gets to the 3-star thanks to my whimsical mood.
Boy, I was not in the mood for this one today. I thought I only liked The Fall in small doses, and we just had Live at the Witch Trials. But, damn, a few songs in and I was grooving on this more than I ever had before. Loved the tribute to Can's Damo Suzuki. Fantastic.
Ik vind dit wel vrolijke muziek met geinige melodietjes. Heel goed te luisteren. ***
Possibly my least favourite fall album so far
Scrummy
As a rear view mirror sentiment the title may have mileage but not for the band on this album. The hallmarks are there but signs of wilting beginning to show.
Not a whole lot to say about this one. British garage punk rock that also felt weirdly devoid of energy and drive. Very boring with songs that go on for way too long
This is awful. How can punk be so boring?
I liked the opening song quite a bit, and the rest of the album was fine. It didn't wow me but it was alright.
Repetitive and lazy but otherwise tolerable. Sounds like a drunken bar band with an ego as big as their beer tab.
It kind of reminds me of like maybe The Kinks? Had some moments that were a bit frenetic. Idk, the energy of this album just didn't jive with my ears. 2.5
Ok well I hate this a little bit less than Live at the Witch Trials. It still has that awful underproduced and unpolished sound, and it's still messy as hell. At least this one has the odd moment here or there that's actually kinda cool.
This is #day236 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here we are with my second The Fall album on the list. The first time I got The Infotainment Scan, I gave it a 3, and I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this band. After all, can you really grasp their elusive enigma? Listening to This Nation's Saving Grace is quite an adventure. I found myself thinking it’s like hearing a language I don’t understand, even though the band is British. Love them or hate them, The Fall are unlike any other band in '80s alternative rock. They're weirdos, sure, but also uniquely idiosyncratic, and it's worth celebrating. This is uncomfortable music, challenging music, uneasy music—whatever you call it—but that’s part of what makes it so fascinating. I can’t rate this album lower than a perfect score. If you're into post-punk and a bit of a vinyl nerd like I am, it surely deserves a spot in your record collection. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day237.
Not for me
This was fairly entertaining but very odd
I liked this more than I thought I would.
My introduction to the fall who have become a favourite of mine in the past few months. Really like the deadpan delivery on these songs aswell as the repetitive guitar riffs 8/10 Favourite: Barmy Least Favourite: Gut of the Quantifier
It is almost very good. Might be one to take another listen in a few weeks and see which songs stuck.
Tried making it through the whole thing. Couldn’t do it. Don’t enjoy the speaking singing style at all. I understand it’s his style but it doesn’t sound very good and seems very low effort. Instrumentals were fine but nothing interesting going on.
Meh. Reminded me of the Stronks but worse. Not groovy enough to be my taste of alternative.
It was pretty good. Liked it more than I expected. Don't normally like punk stuff but this was kind of less aggressive. Nice to run to.
If you don't like this, it's time to grow up. I should know, I was too once young and wrong.
This one fell right up the middle for me. There is a LOT of British (or British-sounding) 'post-punk' on this list and honestly I'm a bit tired of it - but this was more fun and interesting than most of it. Definitely above average for the genre from my perspective. It was a bit punky and a bit garage/indie/shoegaze... a good listen.
I pretend I'm blind you see, put on some Armani clothes and act like ET
3/5
Was always going to give this a 5, I love The Fall and this is one of their best. Their style of post-punk just tickles something in my brain and i can't get enough of it. Just burst into a nice riff and play that shit into the ground for 5 minutes with drunken ranting on top. Brilliant stuff.
Shitty local bar music
enjoyed the instrumentals, was not able to focus on it though, not for me
I liked this a lot!
it was aight but i prob won’t be back listening to this anytime soon
Ah, The Fall. On tombe sur un gros morceau, là. Pas le genre de disque qu'on écoute en faisant la vaisselle ou en passant l'aspirateur. Non, The Fall, ça se mérite, ça s'apprivoise ou plutôt, ça vous tabasse jusqu'à ce que vous tombiez amoureux, comme un bon vieux syndrome de Stockholm musical. Dans la grande liste des "1001 Albums", il y a des évidences, des monuments que tout le monde connaît. Et puis il y a The Fall, un secret de polichinelle, un culte, une épine dans le pied de la pop music depuis quarante ans. Alors, mettons les choses au clair tout de suite. The Fall, ce n'est pas vraiment un groupe. C'est un homme, le regretté, l'immense, le tyrannique, le génial et probablement insupportable Mark E. Smith, accompagné d'un contingent de musiciens interchangeables qui ont eu le courage (ou l'inconscience) de le suivre pendant une période plus ou moins longue. On parle de plus de soixante musiciens différents au cours de leur carrière. C'est plus un régiment qu'un groupe de rock. Mark E. Smith, c'était le général, le poète maudit, le prophète du coin de la rue, le pilier de bar qui vous sort des vérités acides entre deux pintes de bière tiède. Et ce "This Nation's Saving Grace", sorti en 1985, est souvent considéré comme leur apogée, le moment où la formule magique a atteint son point de fusion parfait. 1985, putain, l'année où le monde se pâmait devant le brushing de a-ha et les synthés dégoulinants de bons sentiments. Pendant ce temps, à Manchester, Mark E. Smith et sa troupe enregistraient un brûlot qui sonne encore aujourd'hui plus moderne et pertinent que 90% de la production actuelle. On qualifie souvent The Fall de "post-punk". C'est vrai, mais c'est aussi réducteur que de dire que John Zorn fait du "jazz". Il y a du punk dans l'énergie brute, dans le refus du compromis mais il y a tellement plus. Il y a ce rockabilly mutant, décharné, qui aurait fricoté avec des extraterrestres et pris de mauvaises drogues. Il y a cette obsession pour le "krautrock" allemand, avec ses rythmes répétitifs, hypnotiques, ce fameux "motorik" qui vous vrille le cerveau jusqu'à la transe. Il y a ce garage rock crasseux, joué avec une précision diabolique. "This Nation's Saving Grace" est l'exemple parfait de cet équilibre. C'est peut-être leur album le plus "accessible". Et je mets des guillemets gros comme des maisons, parce que l'accessibilité chez The Fall, c'est relatif. C'est accessible comme un chat sauvage qui vous laisserait l'approcher avant de vous lacérer le bras. La production de John Leckie (qui avait bossé avec Magazine et les Simple Minds, excusez du peu) est plus claire, plus ample que sur leurs précédents méfaits. Surtout, c'est l'album de la fameuse doublette de guitaristes : Brix Smith, l'épouse américaine de Mark, et le fidèle Craig Scanlon. Leur jeu est une merveille d'entrelacs de mélodies tordues et de riffs anguleux. Ça sonne presque "pop" par moments, mais une pop qui aurait été passée au papier de verre, une pop intelligente et venimeuse. Et puis, il y a la voix de Smith. Enfin, "la voix"... Le débit, le phrasé, cette manière unique de déclamer, de marmonner, de cracher ses textes comme s'il lisait le bulletin municipal d'une ville sous acide. C'est un instrument à part entière. On ne comprend pas toujours tout, et c'est tant mieux. On se laisse porter par le son, par la cadence, par ce ricanement permanent qui semble dire : "Vous pigez rien à ce qui se passe, bande de cons, mais moi, je vois tout." Les paroles sont un collage surréaliste de critiques sociales acerbes, de personnages louches et d'observations du quotidien vues à travers un prisme déformant. C'est de la poésie prolétaire, brute, sans fioritures. Cet album est un monolithe, c'est un labyrinthe sonore dans lequel il fait bon se perdre. Chaque écoute révèle de nouveaux détails : un clavier dissonant caché derrière une guitare, une ligne de basse qui semble jouer sa propre partition, un "YAH !" hargneux de Smith qui surgit de nulle part. C'est un disque qui refuse la facilité, qui vous demande un effort. Il ne vient pas à vous, c'est à vous d'aller à lui. Mais une fois que vous y êtes entré, vous ne voulez plus en sortir. C'est complexe, inventif, dérangeant, brillant, claustrophobe et étrangement jubilatoire. C'est tout ce que j'aime, c'est l'anti-rock-de-stade par excellence. C'est la bande-son parfaite pour un monde qui part en couilles, et c'est pour ça qu'elle est toujours aussi pertinente. Il y a des albums qui vous caressent dans le sens du poil, et il y en a qui vous filent une bonne claque pour vous réveiller. "This Nation's Saving Grace" est de la seconde catégorie. Un chef-d'oeuvre absolu, un pilier de la musique indépendante. Un putain de 5 sur 5, indiscutable. C'est pas de la musique, c'est The Fall. Point.
Ovaj projekt će me ubiti... 🫠 Viđeno već stoput na ovoj listi, ne razumijem više i počinjem gubiti rispekt. Dosadno, nimalo kultno ili značajno po meni, jednostavno ništa. Doduše, bilo je i gorih albuma, pa eto, 2/5, 3/10.
British Punk is such a moment in it's own right. A moment that I think I've moved beyond. ha. Actually, I really liked punk growing up and still do, but it's almost like I'm now too old to try and like new punk music. I enjoyed listening to this, even though I'm not crazy about it. I don't think that I will be returning to it, but this record had a few moments that were fun and a little bit rowdy.
Ok 2/5
"This Nation's Saving Grace" is the eighth studio album by English post-punk band the Fall. The album is noted for its pop sensibilities, guitar hooks and John Leckie's accessible production. I'll agree to that. There was also a change in that guitarists Brix Smith and Craig Scanlon wrote most of the riffs as opposed to bassist Steve Henley who quit and then rejoined the band. Other bandmembers included group leader Mark E. Smith (vocals, violin, guitar, harmonica), Karl Burns (drums, backing vocals) and Simon Rodgers (keyboards, guitar, bass, electronic drums and backing vocals). Commercially, the album hit #54 in the UK and, critically, received lots of high praise. The album opens with the instrumental "Mansion." Eerie layered guitars, a prominent bass and loud drums. This sets the tone for the album. The prominent, forward bass continues in "Bombast." Add guitar slashes and Mark E. Smith's screaming and we're in post-punk heaven. Mark wants to "bring wrath to bastards idiots." I read one of them is Lloyd Cole. The band gets a hypnotic beat going in "What You Need." Guitar slashes. When this song came on I thought I had put on Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus." Very similar sounding. Mark actually had lived in and hated LA so they made a song named "L.A." They get a really groove going here. Brix on lead vocals. Mark also joins in making various random noises. This song has an anxious, nervous vibe. Oh, yeah, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers must have been in the studio during the recording. The most pop song on the album is "Paint Work." Acoustic guitar, bass and drums. And now, I hear the Pixies. Mark with scream of conscious lyrics, similar to Black Francis. An interesting song with home recordings mixed with the studio ones. "I am Damo Suzuki" is a fitting tribute to the Can vocalist with the same name. Eerie guitar keys, rumbling bass and idiosyncratic drum beats. I guess it's never a bad idea to throw in a little Can to the the album. Within two songs, I was like wow!, this is a really great sounding and probably a very important 80's album. I was right and the album got even better. Bass-forward, rockin' beats and grooves, catchy hooks, post-punk guitar riffs and slashes and, of course, the Mark E. Smith factor which gives it that weirdness factor from the lyrics and vocals to take it to the next level...this time in a good way. I heard a lot of other bands in their music including LCD Soundsystem, the Pixies, Depeche Mode and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So, they were/are a very influential band. This is a fantastic album and I give it a very high recommendation.
Never heard of this band before, but it felt like something that I'd like. I might give it a second shot.
I love Mark's lyrics but I hate the way he sings, it's weird and quite forced, I mean the world don't need another The Clash. He should've just sing it normally, it would make the album so much more enjoyable...A 4 out of 5.
2/5
This was more accessible than other stuff from The Fall I know. I think I like their noise, earlier stuff better, but this was still solidly a 5 for me.
Started strong and got worse as it went along. I guess 3 overall.
2 - I really like some of the instrumental riffs but to e vocal style is a bit horrible to listen to at times
absolute kook music
I sure was not a fan of the vocals here. They waned on me so much. Inarticulate and boring. And I know in punk music the vocals shouldn't matter, but they do in fact, and I just hated them. Outside of the vocals, I enjoyed This Nation's Saving Grace. I don't know how remarkable it was, but the beats were good. The tone could become very dark, always a highlight. A lot of the music itself was very strong and engaging, too. On the whole, the lyrics weren't remarkable--well, that depended on how much I could make out. 2.5
Not very good production here and overall just didn't find myself very drawn in by this one. Every song definitely felt pretty repetitive.
Decent
Tough and abrasive but also dynamic and engaging. Great hooks everywhere, from the dark opening chords and big, bounciness of "Barmy" is nearly a singalong of pop hit proportions ("Paintwork" could be too but MES clearly had other ideas.) while simultaneously challenging the listener with wildness all about the edges; "I've got everything I want / except money" is an alt motto for the whole history of rock and roll. In "Bombast" is fierce and sets a tone for seriousness. "Spoilt Victorian Child" is classic Fall – substantive and not easy, but with clear moments of chiming musicality. "LA" much the same, a visceral-psychotic impression of the city perhaps? Just cool whatever it is. The way one hears predictions/echoes/resonances of so many other worthy but under-appreciated artists (Sonic Youth, Jonathan Richman, Yo La Tengo [criminally excluded from this book]) is testament. Second half of record is the stronger, for hooks, for a richer range of moods and tones. "Petty Thief" is rollickingly epic. "Cruiser's Creek" is a strong summation, with one of their grabbiest hooks. Bit of an acquired taste, but an acquisition that very much pays off. And a case can be made that MES has long been the coolest man in rock and roll.
They made punk long and boring. Dishonour on their guitars
It's okayish. Avantgarde. I like that stuff, but this is a bit too much for me.
Pretty scattered and helter skelter but does just enough to keep the songs on the rails. I hear the B-52's and early 00's dance punk. Highlight(s): Barmy/My New House/Paintwork Lowlight(s): I Am Damo Suzuki
Pretty ok snotty post-punk. Sounds pretty safe by genre standards. Not exactly accusing them of selling out, just not doing a whole lot
Interesting addition of pop sensibilities and hooks to the most angular repetitive band on earth. I love them, I love this, but I also anticipate a bunch of people hating it. Also by the second half the album’s dropped off entirely. Still, I can see that Brix had a HUGE impact on them, and it’s cool to see an already hugely influential band shift direction to influence a whole new set of people.
man idk i was not struck by any of this. a couple of the slower moments were nice but ???
DIY albums can be kind of dense and uneven, but there’s something special going on here. The melodies feel very natural. I’m totally getting the energy. I have listened to this album a bunch of times, and I still don’t completely get it. In a good way.
Never into these guys. But, pretty good.
Interesting, though probably won't be listening to it again. Best song: Petty (Thief) Lout 5/10
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. The vocals are an interesting style vs the rest of the sound but it works. I can see them experimenting because they're wanting to and not really caring who cares. Glad I heard it. I'll look into them some more.
This album has good energy, some really good instrumentation, but something feels disingenuous about the vocals. Kind of like The Doors. I made it through 2 listens, and enjoyed them. I could picture myself re visiting this album, but it didn't blow my socks off. A couple small moments may have tugged on my socks.
Kinda alt rock stuff. Not every song is good but there are some slappers.
The nation is in peril if this is its saving grace.
Has it’s moments I suppose
Started off sounding like I was playing Luigi’s Mansion, cool eerie rock sound. But after that I struggled, I think I’m finding I do not enjoy British punk from this time period, it all sounds the same with the same guitar tone and similar blues riff throughout each song (I like my new house’s riff but don’t enjoy the lyrics along with it).
Very much noise oriented. I know, that is the Punk ethic of that period, but there is nothing here that catches my interest. I couldn't finish this. 1.5/5
Brit Punk, you either like it or you try over and over again. Far too much on this list regardless.
Kind of a weird almost punk without all the punk sensibilities genre. Not sure how to classify it. Not for me but it wasn't terrible.
Definitely more “accessible” than some of their albums, but I wouldn’t say it’s poppy. I liked the overall vibe of the album, but not many songs stand out. Some songs are only memorable for the excessive repetition of certain words and phrases (like Spoilt Victorian Child and Couldn’t Get Ahead). Sometimes I liked that and sometimes it was annoying.
So much of the music I love today obviously has roots in the fall. Also an interesting listen. 4/5
didn't do anything for me
An exquisite pop punk triumph in the later stages of a wonderful career.
I can't get with the Fall I guess. Too bad, some of my favorite artists really dig them.
"Pitchfork ranked it as the 13th best album of the 1980s." Really?? 13th best of the 1980s??? That's actually so cap. Like the album isn't *bad* but CMON... how much were they paid to say that lmao The people at Pitchfork have probably only ever listened to 13 albums from the 1980s. Let me list 14 1980s albums. Apparently Pitchfork says this album is better than at least 1 of these: - Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses - Disintegration by The Cure - Master of Puppets by Metallica - Hysteria by Def Leppard - Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi - The Joshua Tree by U2 - Power, Corruption & Lies by New Order - Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty - Thriller by Michael Jackson - Remain in Light by Talking Heads - Closer by Joy Division - Purple Rain by Prince - Reign in Blood by Slayer - Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain - Graceland by Paul Simon - Back in Black by AC/DC - Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen - Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes - The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden - Bleach by Nirvana OOPS I... accidently... listed 20 huge albums from the 1980s cause there's so many better albums than this one!!! Ok this review is just a dis on Pitchfork at this point lol Edit Apr 15 2026: 3 --> 2. I don't find it that memorable
Kinda crazy I never listened to the Fall before considering how much I love Post Punk. It's a good time. Not my favourite but I wouldn't turn it off if it came up on shuffle.
This is for someone, I'm sure, but not me. The music itself I find kind of boring, so you'd think the lyrics would make up for it. Not as far as I can tell. It doesn't feel like this says very much.
Great
This is fucking incredible
Foot-tappers with zero meaning, I'm not a fan
Many fun songs, but really not super exciting. I might revisit it though. Favorite songs: “Barmy” “L.A.” “I Am Damo Suzuki”
3.6 Conflicting. Some parts amazing, some parts not so good. What I do find fascinating is hearing the inspiration for so many good bands - you can hear LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth almost directly in some of these songs. Clearly an important release. The part that lets it down is a fair few songs just don't land too well, lots of different ideas, some of which work, but some of which definitely don't. Overall positive though.
i think i listened??
A bit off-kilter and so very British, but I really enjoyed this one. Exceedingly creative. Favorites: Barmy, L.A., Spoiled Victorian Child, Yarbles
I want to like this, but everything bleeds into and over eachother in a way that makes it difficult to listen to, with lyrics being mumbled, buried, or otherwise hidden in what could be songs with interesting ideas that don't develop or flow beyond their initial creation.
This is slightly less awful than the other Fall album I've gotten on this site. Does anyone actually like this or is it just a hipster irony thing? "You don't get it, maaaaan. It's actually supposed to be unlistenable garbage."
Okaish Post Punk.
Production good but the vocals lack luster
Listened Before? N Cool punk album. I like. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: L.A.
Great titles but otherwise meh
Like the music, dont care for the vocals.
I don't mind the fall, not keen on mark e smith
I think that kind of punk is a product of the time, and I can't get into it now. Musically it's not that outrageous. It can get annoying, with a message that today feels tired. Punk today would be something else.