At the time their third album was released, The Sound was one of the UK's most acclaimed bands and were on the precipice of a commercial breakthrough. Having been upgraded from the Korova label (also home to Echo & the Bunnymen) to Warner Bros., the group was met with label demands to deliver a more commercial release. In what many consider to be a willfully defiant move, The Sound delivered the challenging and more experimental All Fall Down, a record many of their most ardent fans still consider their most accomplished. It remains one of the great post-punk albums of the early '80s. The aura of Adrian Borland's well documented mental illness gives many of the songs a sinister edge. All Fall Down has proved itself over time to be an essential album: it is a timeless, modern record that still sounds fresh, and it's high points match anything else in the group's canon.