And when she talked about a fall, I thought she talked about Mark E. Smith

I’ve thought for a while now that The Fall could be my ideal band – if only I could get started on their lengthy back catalogue! And that’s just the problem! From what I can gather, their output is remarkably consistent with something like 26 studio albums spanning three decades. Not that the band’s personnel has been at all stable: vocalist, lyricist and leader Mark E. Smith ('the most hated man in Britain' or angry enigma, take your pick) has been the only constant member, with there having been around 58 line-up changes. Smith, a notorious cynic, once quipped 'If it's me, and your granny on bongos, it's a Fall gig'.

It has always seemed to me that The Fall has no Daydream Nation or I See a Darkness; no definitive introduction album, nothing concrete for which I could test my compatibility with such a prolific artist. But I knew it must be. Being a fan of so many bands influenced by Smith and co. – Art Brut, Pavement, McLusky – as well as contemporaries of a sort, like Wire and Gang of Four, I knew. Plus the Jens Lekman lines featured in the title above have proven handy for name-dropping!

Having read so much about Smith’s unique lyrical style – apparently a heady mix of social realism, brutal criticism, surrealism and absurdism – I really shouldn’t have left it so long. I may be exposing a gaping hole in my indie-cred but it was only last week that I purchased (yes, this was far too important for downloading) my first Fall album. I settled on This Nation’s Saving Grace, which, along with Hex Enduction Hour and Perverted By Language, was one of three that I had narrowed my selection down to. And, whaddya know, I’m hooked-uh (in true Mark E. Smith vocal style).

Please, if you haven’t already, do yourself a favour:

I am Damo Suzuki
Bombast