MES has never had the most mellifluous of singing voices. His is maybe a notch above Lou Reed’s in the speak-singing rankings. That voice has still has been one of the most recognizable aspects of the Fall, something he likely realized early on. And as he’s gotten older, he hasn’t shied away from using all the flaws and changes to his vocal chords when she sings. You hear that in sharp relief on Imperial Wax Solvent, a record made with another batch of new players and MES letting his stretched out, phlegmy voice rattle through it all without fear.

Of course, he also knows when to ease up on the throttle, turning at least one song over to his wife, keyboards Elena Poulou — the jaunty and catchy as hell “I’ve Been Duped” — placed perfectly on the album after an eleven-and-a-half minute barrage of complaints on getting too old for the club scene and being too exhausted to do anything with his “three-foot rock hard on.”

And why shouldn’t he sound ragged and wrecked when every bit of music blasting in the background is as ragged and wrecked as his voice? As all good guitarists who join the Fall should, Peter Greenway shows no fear throughout these 12 tracks. He just makes little adjustments to perfectly capture the mood: a Beefheartian fuzz attack for a cover of the Groundhogs’ “Strangetown,” a Cramps-like rumble on “Tommy Shooter” and “Wolf Kidult Man,” and the string-scraping blues-psych of “Exploding Chimney.” With chops like that, it’s no wonder MES still keeps him around all these years later.