Even though it is well part Christmas, the '(We Wish You) A Protein Christmas' EP by The Fall is too good to leave unopened till next year.

The Fall have been relevant since 1977. I'll bet that with some concentration you can name another artist around that long that is still relevant (Billy Childish), but the list is surely well within counting on your fingers, possibly those of a single hand.

The Fall created a sound that was popularized by Glasgow bands like The Yummy Fur a few years ago, and Newcastle on Tyne labels like Slampt. There were many bands that used the style: single note (as opposed to chords) guitar melodies and stylized talking instead of singing is the description I would give the sound in a nutshell.

Through the years Mark E. Smith became famous for changing the members of The Fall for almost every release, and there have been a lot of releases. He also made the fall an electronic techno styled band long before it was fashionable, and made them an angry rock band again when it was.

This EP has 4 songs, all of which are interesting and well recorded, even if a bit mad.

1. (We Wish You) A Protein Christmas
   This song deserves your ear any time of year. It is not a Christmas song in the usual sense, it just uses the backdrop of christmas time for Mark e. smiths reflections on the way his life has gone, and observations of the present.
2. (We Are) Mod Mock Goth
   The vocal is adjusted into weirdness by an effect (and the angry delivery), and there are sounds that would usually be heard only on The Ex or Dog Faced Herman records. I like the sounds a lot, but aren't crazy about the vocal or the single repeated riff throughout the song.
3. (Birtwistle's) Girl In Shop
   Mark E. Smith used to remind me of Alex in A Clockwork Orange, but on this song he seems closer to the old bloke who sang Cockles and Mussels before being subjected to a bit of the old ultraviolence. That said, I like this song. It has a rambling rant and boppy music with go-go styled organ.
4. Recovery Kit #2
   This song touches back to the period The Fall sere a techno band, and does so in a pleasant manner. It is my favorite song on the EP after the main title song.