The Fall, I am Kurious Oranj (side A)

1988's I am Kurious Oranj is a bit of a surprising Fall album for many reasons. One is the polished, late-80s hit-record production courtesy of Ian Broudie, who went on to have hits as the Lightning Seeds. Even the gimmicky effects that are sometimes used on the vocals blend into an overall cleanliness and efficiency in sound. This professionalism is appropriate for the more conventionally structured songs like "Kurious Oranj" and "New Big Prinz", but it seems weirdly juxtaposed with some of the messier parts of the album. These parts probably reflect the music's use as program music for a ballet, but the sequence and assembly all seem a bit out of place. The cover art with a prominent photograph of Mark E Smith is also incongruous for a Fall album. The end result is, like so many Fall albums, fascinating and perplexing all at once.