Formed in 1976, The Fall shared their UK punk peers' raw garage roots and snotty insolence. But they soon transformed into something far stranger, with their irascible, inscrutable mouthpiece, Mark E. Smith, serving as the anchor in a turbulent sea of lineup changes and stylistic mutations up until his 2018 death. Early singles like “Totally Wired” showcased his hectoring sing-speak over accelerated caveman stomps, but the arrival of Smith's wife Brix heralded a shift toward synth-pumped pop (“C.R.E.E.P.”). After the couple split, Smith rumbled into the 21st century sounding nastier than ever on bass-heavy bruisers like “Blindness.”