Bend Sinister
Arguably the peak of Brix Smith-era Fall, the rousing, riff-loadedBend Sinisterstands as one of the band's most rounded and satisfying records. With edgy, bubblegum pop mixing with crepuscular experimentalism, the album finds Mark E. Smith flitting between being playful ("Terry Waite Sez," "Riddler") and disgruntled ("Gross Chapel," "Shoulder Pads," and the fuming hymn of hate to the nanny state that is "US 80s and 90s"). Boasting one of the Fall's mid-'80s hits and arguably the group's best-known recording, their take on the Other Half's 1960s amphetamine anthem "Mr. Pharmacist," the CD's an advisable point of entry for Fall novices. Also a favorite of longtime devotees,Bend Sinisteris probably the best example of the Fall as a potent rock group.--Taylor Parkes