Too Smell (2017)
When I went to Japan last year I got to see one punk rock show. Four great bands played that show and one of those bands was falls. I have two records by them so far, a five song CD and this five song cassette. I'm going to start up with the cassette, but I've been listening to both quite a bit.
This tape starts out with two cover songs. The first is "Dot Dash" by Wire and the second is an epic cover of one of my all time favorite songs, "Pumpkin Eyes" by Silver Scooter. falls really do an incredible job with "Pumpkin Eyes," managing to stay true to the song's melancholy vibe but adding in just enough new flair to call it their own.
On the B side, there's three of falls' original songs and this is where they really shine. They're crafting songs that some might say lean towards the emo side of things, but all three songs are so deeply rooted in guitar pop that they never lose sight of the hook. They've intertwined dynamic guitar leads with a tight rhythm section, resulting in songs that have room to experiment, but are rooted in their service to them main structure of the song. In a lot of ways, falls remind my of Silver Scooter at the height of their power, so the "Pumpkin Eyes" cover is particularly appropriate.
Let's be honest, this is just a great tape. I wish it was a CD or a 10" instead of being a tape, but I'll take what I can get when the songs are this good. I'm pretty lucky I got to see them play, I hope I get to again one day.
falls - "Pumpkin Eyes":
falls - "City Of Hercules" (this live version is all I could find online):
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