Fall for the Fall-like This Fall:Mother & the Addicts' Science Fiction Illustration

There's no question that Mother & the Addicts' lead singer mama Mother (Sam Smith) has the timbre and pattern of the Fall's Mark E. Smith making the famed post-punk Manchester band the point-on comparison to Glasgow's Mother & the Addicts. However, it goes beyond voice. Mother & the Addicts also have the Fall's combination of acoustic guitar and heavy bass, pop hook choruses, and dance club beats spoofed into punk pop.

All of the Fall-like elements come together on "All in the Mind," the opening track of their second release, Science Fiction Illustrated. Yet, Mother & the Addicts aren't done channeling avant-garde pop rock. "Watch the Lines" relies on the key heavy "apocalyptic bebop" of the Nails (see review), while also finding that the Wall of Voodoo has a door into the quirky world of Thomas Dolby where there's some surf rock slide guitar imported occasionally.

"So Tough" plays the poppy keys of Men Without Hats' experimentations with rock tunes. "Roll Me On Over" shows that behind it all there's a 50's rockabilly flavor.

Thanks to Mother & the Addicts and Chemikal Underground Records for the review CD.