Re-Mit might not be the record on which Smith finally relinquishes language altogether in favour of communicating in only a dry-mouthed hangover gargle, but it’s close.
Smith’s production reveals a band determined to explore its denser, edgy, introverted character. The songs burrow down and hunker close. You approach them; they do not reach out to you.
Smith sounds wonderfully unhinged, and comfortable with leaving in every wordless grunt, stutter and phlegmy rattle untouched.
Far from being terrifying, it sounds like Smith is actually having fun.
It’s messy and menacing in equal measure, a bar fight that ends in broken glass and slippery floors, but not before landing a few killer strikes.
Throughout the entire album, you’re left wondering how Smith, who is responsible for some of the most untouchable, spontaneous punk classics of all time, could muster the audacity to purposefully sound like such a parody of his previous self.
"Re-Mit" is a pretty electrifying release. Sloppier than anything the group had put together for a long time, the discordance of the gargled vocals and messy instrumentation makes this record a lot of fun. While these compositions may not be too ambitious, the carefree nature of this record draws parallels with albums such as "Room To Live" or "Levitate". A good record - maybe not essential, but definitely worth a listen.
Imagine pushing all The Fall albums up to this date through a large cider press but instead of delicious musical cider you just get a soggy Mark E mess.