Steve Hanley’s brother, Paul, joins on drums and The Fall begins to sound like The Fall. Everything is getting weirder and louder and tighter, and also more local. “The Container Drivers” pulls trucks into the fray, “The North Will Rise Again” surfaces Smith’s weird local pride that sometimes feels a touch dangerous. He hates the music business, and he probably hates his bandmates, but he never seems to hate you. Bo Diddley gone mad and told to drive around a van of juvenile delinquents in Manchester.

– Sasha Frere-Jones