"Blinded" or "(Deaf and) Blindness," The Fall (2005)

Latest thing, 2005, w/ The Fall still rocking out, guitars lumbering in extended dirge, 26 minutes of glorious drone stuff, at this stage full-on legacy post-punk legends. This is a Peel Sessions collection of five studio produced versions of a song called Blinded and sometimes goes by (Deaf and) Blindness. I'm calling it stimulating background music for Dad Rockers, somber, hummable, relentless, Smith's penetrating if inarticulate ranting warble, howling at the dying of the light. Hawkwind and Krautrock lovers will rock this, promise. It's all the sound for me tho, not much idea what he's yammering on about. But reminds me of my favorite quote from Smith, "I used to be psychic but I drank myself out of it." Actually, I imagine Smith in a tradition of British ranters going back to the 17th century, mock declaiming, denouncing, traitors, digital illustrators, chanting slogans from his bag of attitudes, mumbling indecipherable snarky asides. Hooks jab at you in short provocative catchy phrases, but mostly remain to me mysterious, cryptic and maybe a little nutty or at least eccentric in a singular Mark E. Smith kind of way. I was walking down the street. Perverted by language. Godfather of post-punk. 

PRT