Sub-Lingual Tablet

Sub-Lingual Tablet
Studio album by The Fall
Released	11 May 2015 (2015-05-11)
Recorded	2014–2015
Genre	Post-punk
Length	50:52 (CD) 56:04 (vinyl)
Label	Cherry Red Records[1]
The Fall chronology
Live Uurop VIII-XII Places in Sun & Winter, Son (2014) Sub-Lingual Tablet (2015) Wise Ol' Man (2016)

Sub-Lingual Tablet is the 31st studio album by English band The Fall, released in May 2015 by Cherry Red Records.

The album was originally going to be named Dedication Not Medication, but, according to Mark E. Smith, "it looked a bit like a Barclays advert". Sub-Lingual Tablet marks the first appearance of second drummer Daren Garratt as a full-time member (he previously guested on The Remainderer, uncredited). Meanwhile, "Black Roof" doesn't feature the regular Fall lineup at all; instead, the bulk of it was recorded by former members Rob Barbato and Tim Presley in USA, with Smith adding the vocals later.

Two of the album's tracks were already released in 2014 in different versions – "Fibre Book Troll" on Modeselektor's Modeselektion Vol. 03 compilation and "Auto Chip 2014-2016" (as "Auto (2014) Chip Replace") on part-live, part-studio album Live: Uurop VIII-XII Places In Sun & Winter, Son.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Drowned in Sound	7/10[3]
The Guardian	[4]
Pitchfork Media	6.0/10[5]
The Skinny	[6]

Michael Hann of The Guardian gave the album 3-out-of-5 stars, calling it "predictable and surprising in almost equal measure"; he criticised the album for having "its share of Fall-by-numbers" but also described "Auto Chip 2014-2016" as "magnificent".^[4] Chris McCall of The Skinny said that it was "easily the [band's] best [album] since 2007's Reformation Post TLC".^[6] Drowned in Sound reviewer Benjamin Bland said that while the album contained "a series of tracks that could fit into almost any period in the band's catalogue", it included "enough genuinely high quality Fall material" to be of interest to old and new fans alike.^[3]

Track listing

CD version

1. "Venice with the Girls" (Mark E. Smith/Dave Spurr/Keiron Melling) – 4:11
2. "Black Roof" (Smith/Rob Barbato/Tim Presley) – 1:46 (listed as "Black Door" on iTunes)
3. "Dedication Not Medication" (Smith/Spurr) – 4:47
4. "First One Today" (Smith/Eleni Poulou) – 2:45
5. "Junger Cloth" (Smith/Spurr/Melling) – 4:55
6. "Stout Man" (Iggy Pop/James Williamson) – 3:15 (a reworking of "Cock in My Pocket" by Iggy and the Stooges)
7. "Auto Chip 2014-2016" (Smith/Poulou) – 10:03 (listed as "Auto Chip 14-15" on iTunes)
8. "Pledge!" (Smith) – 6:32
9. "Snazzy" (Smith/Poulou) – 2:29
10. "Fibre Book Troll" (Smith/Poulou/Spurr) – 5:59 (listed as "Facebook Troll" on iTunes)
11. "Quit iPhone" (Smith/Spurr/Melling) – 4:10

Vinyl version

The double vinyl version was released on May 25 and contains alternate versions of several tracks, most notably "Dedication Not Medication" and "Fibre Book Troll".

Side A

1. "Venice With The Girls" – 4:12
2. "Black Roof" – 1:46
3. "Dedication Not Medication" – 7:38

Side B

1. "First One Today" – 2:45
2. "Junger Cloth" – 4:55
3. "Stout Man" – 3:17

Side C

1. "Auto Chip 2014-2016" – 8:21
2. "Pledge!" – 4:56
3. "Snazzy" – 2:29

Side D

1. "Fibre Book Troll" – 11:35
2. "Quit iPhone" – 4:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from Sub-Lingual Tablet liner notes.^[7]

The Fall

• Mark E. Smith – vocals, production
• Peter Greenway – guitar
• Elena Poulou – synthesizer
• David Spurr – bass guitar
• Keiron Melling – drums
• Daren Garratt – drums, percussion, backing vocals on "Auto Chip 2014-2016"

Additional personnel

• Rob Barbato, Tim Presley – all instruments, recording and mixing on "Black Roof"
• Simon "Ding" Archer – engineering, voice on "Dedication Not Medication" (vinyl version)
• Andy Pearce – mastering
• Ken Pearson, Charlie Pearson – artwork

Charts

References

External links

• https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sub-lingual-tablet/id977365325