A valentine for black hearts! An electric array of magic sounds! The shock return of a missing legend!
The surprise formation of HOUSE Of ALL by five former members of The Fall was bound to provide some pleasant surprises, not the least of which being the creation of an identity distinct from that of any specific Fall line-up, and here the band offer an steep evolution of sound of their two previous albums . . . darker, more elliptic and can we say it? A more mystical sum of talents than most groups ever manage.
They’ve kept their open door policy to former members of The Fall and expanded it. Phil Lewis, who's stepped in live for Pete Greenway, makes his studio debut, and the long-lost Karl Burns has emerged from his mystery lair to add a third set of drums to the line-up . . . besting The Glitter Band by 50%! How this will work live has yet to be determined, but the band has already scheduled dates in Spring, 2025.
'House Of All Souls' is somewhat more psychedelic than its predecessors, and despite seven players, each with his own particular style, the songs and production are shockingly cohesive. From the breakneck pace of first tune, 'Tempest And Storm' to the superb album closer, 'Born At Dawn And Dead At Sunset', there's quite a lot to unpack - it's an album-lover's album, each track magnificent in its own way and impossible for us to pick a fave from the lot of 'em.
The surprise formation of HOUSE Of ALL by five former members of The Fall was bound to provide some pleasant surprises, not the least of which being the creation of an identity distinct from that of any specific Fall line-up, and here the band offer an steep evolution of sound of their two previous albums . . . darker, more elliptic and can we say it? A more mystical sum of talents than most groups ever manage.
They’ve kept their open door policy to former members of The Fall and expanded it. Phil Lewis, who's stepped in live for Pete Greenway, makes his studio debut, and the long-lost Karl Burns has emerged from his mystery lair to add a third set of drums to the line-up . . . besting The Glitter Band by 50%! How this will work live has yet to be determined, but the band has already scheduled dates in Spring, 2025.
'House Of All Souls' is somewhat more psychedelic than its predecessors, and despite seven players, each with his own particular style, the songs and production are shockingly cohesive. From the breakneck pace of first tune, 'Tempest And Storm' to the superb album closer, 'Born At Dawn And Dead At Sunset', there's quite a lot to unpack - it's an album-lover's album, each track magnificent in its own way and impossible for us to pick a fave from the lot of 'em.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Stomping, spoken word atop pummeling post-punk basslines and overdriven garage guitars. While House Of All did indeed have some echoes of their parent band in previous iterations, 'House Of All Souls' sounds like a band forging their own unique path, and sounding all the better for it.TRACK LISTING
1. Tempest And Storm
2. A Creature Came Slinking
3. The Good Englishman
4. Oh What Love Is Made For
5. Infamous Immoral Sister
6. The Devil’s House
7. An Apocryphal Dream
8. O Dayspring
9. Queen Of Angels
10. Born At Dawn And Dead At Sunset.