Mush - Lines Redacted

The spectre of Mark E Smith hovers over the land, muttering to anyone that will listen that we must respect his holy trinity, the three most important things in the world: Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Like many bands before and since, Mush live by these preachings. However, unlike many modern disciples of the discord, the group have managed to take The Fall’s signature sound and do something new with it, melding the chaos into something far more skew-whiff. ‘Lines Redacted’, their second album, leans heavily on the familiar regurgitated guitar riffs and Casio plonks of their debut, but adds an extra layer of urgency and lo-fi loveliness. The album release follows the incredibly sad news of guitarist Steven Tyson’s death late last year. Steven’s jilted rhythms play a major part in the record’s success, adding a pleasant uneasiness throughout. ‘Drink Your Bleach’ and ‘Positivity’ sway along like disturbed playground ditties, luring you into a false sense of security before you’re hit in the face with threats of guitar-based combustion. ‘Lines Redacted’ proves that influence trumps imitation, every day of the week. If you believe in repetition, everything else will follow.