The constant state of flux that is the Fall has another oscillation with the firing of drummer Karl Burns — replaced fairly quickly by Mancunian Simon Wolstencroft — and MES’s complaints about the “psychedelic sounds” that producer John Leckie would add to it. That should give some indication as to the collective mindset that went into these sessions, which resulted in a murky album cut through with occasional shards of bright light. The darkest figure here is MES, weighed down as he is by customs issues he ran into in Boston (“U.S. 80’s-90’s”), a drunk fan trying to steal the backdrop they used for live shows (“Bournemouth Runner”), and the slasher film imagery (“There’s a blood silhouette through the ceiling sky,” he repeats) and fruit-based interjections by Brix that infect his take on the Faust story (“Dktr. Faustus”).

Bend Sinister remains a fascinating listen because just as you feel like you’re getting sunk into the morass of dour lyrics and avant-plod, they yank you right out of it with jaunty cuts like two versions of “Shoulder Pads,” the short, cutting “Terry Waite Sez,” and their blustery take on the Other Half’s 1968 garage rock nugget “Mr. Pharmacist.” The pendulum swings hard on this album, but it makes for an often-exhilarating ride.