It was the darkest of ironies. When Rockford, Illinois Post-Punk band The Funeral March [of the marionettes] were planning their latest album over two years ago, there wasn’t an overarching theme in mind necessarily. But as vocalist Joe Whiteaker and his bassist Darius McCaskey were selecting and recording the tracks which would come to coalesce into “It All Falls Apart,” commonalities began to emerge, as they often do. The thread that tied the album together was an entropic one where the way that everything and everyone breaks down was ultimately apparent.

That this took place in 2023 was a kindness, because by the next year, after the recordings were done, Whiteaker was dealing with a breakdown of his own. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and would ultimately die on May 17th of that year. Leaving his good friend McCaskey to take the project from final mixes, which Joe was able to hear, to the point of release on this day of March 14th, 2025.

The Funeral March Of The Marionettes [named after the classic theme to “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”] date back to 1987, but the band took a long hiatus from the mid 90s to 2017 before Joe thought on the 30th anniversary of the band they should reform. It was at that point where they began releasing their early recordings as well as a series of new EPs reflecting the here and now. This latest one came over the transom at PPM and we’re here to discuss it today.

The Funeral March: It All Falls Apart – US – DL [2025]

1. Stars at Night 04:45
2. Shadow Games 04:52
3. Bobblehead 04:25
4. Save Us 04:43
5. It All Falls Apart 06:02
6. Stars at Night (Tweaker Remix) 04:36
7. It All Falls Apart (Bellhead Remix) 05:40
8. It All Falls Apart (Joy Thieves Remix) 04:22
9. Stars at Night (Tweaker Instrumental Remix) 04:38

“Stars At Night” began without warning with a torrent of sparks shooting off of Wayne Thiele’s guitar at full velocity as the bass pushed us into the fast moving current of the song. The exhilaration was immediate. Joe’s vocals were low and powerful; shared with Ria Aursjoen of Octavian Winters guesting here. The propulsive drums were [very well] programmed and belied their synthetic nature. There was nothing here to break the powerful spell of this amazing opening song.

The song’s chorus took a step back from the breakneck tempo of the verses; allowing us to catch our breath and have a moment to contemplate the energy at work here. The middle eight featured only haunting expression vocals from Ms. Aursjoen before returning to the main theme for a climactic finish as Mr. Thiele’s furious playing throughout the song simply vibrated with a breathless energy. Until the last note of his guitar rang out with an exacting finality in the coda.

The pace changed dramatically with Thiele’s guitar weaving a single slender, sustained thread throughout the intro to “Shadow Games.” Bringing to mind the sound of Paul Reynolds from the great “Modern Love Is Automatic.” The gentle eddies and currents of the song offering a respite from the headfirst rush of the opener. Instead, “Shadow Game” built upon the drone of the guitar and the repetition of the song’s haunting melody. Touched with the grace of Whiteaker’s vocal; alternately solemn or yearning.

Subterranean bass from Mr. McCaskey was the star of the show on “Bobblehead” though the classically flanged guitar of Mr. Thiele was a reliable shoutout to the ever-present influence of the great John Mc Geoch. It’s been a real pleasure to hear later generations explore the space that he helped to define over 45 years ago. The methodical pace of this one gave a feeling of stasis that allowed the wistful vocals of Whiteaker to explore the melancholy of the lyric.

The embittered lyric of “Save Us” casts a jaundiced eye at our current fate complete with dark, riffology from the guitars. Rob Hyman of [melter] guests on live drums this time to raise the stakes as did Ms. Aursjoen’s wordless expression vocals in the foreboding middle eight and climax. As Whiteakre sings “the world is on fire now” it’s tempting to realize that the notion can now be taken literally as well as figuratively. Then the fierce title track [also with Hyman on drum duty] brings it home with a dark vision of a love lost with the harmonic tang of the sustained guitar competing with the implacable drum pattern driving this song to its bitter conclusion.

The album also had remixes of four of the songs here. First was Tweaker’s remix of “Stars At Night” opting for a more delicate and crystalline experience entirely. A good example of entirely changing the complexion of a song via remixing. Though I prefer the griping urgency of the band’s mix, this was an interesting point of view nonetheless. The Bellhead remix of the title track got portentous choral patches and violins sawing away nervously; adding to the angst of it all. With a new drum driven coda aiding this mix in raising a head of steam in the climax that gave the last grace note to Whiteaker’s wordless vocals.

That the Joy Thieves remix of “It All Falls Apart” followed the Bellhead remix was made possible by bold shifts of tone such as an uptick in the tempo of the altogether more driven vibe and and expansive sound that sounded here like a path forward for the band that will never be on the album that won’t follow this one. I also loved how they set off Whiteaker’s backing vocals to greater prominence in the mix. A sterling remix, though none of these offended.

Hearing Whiteaker’s deceptively boyish voice [he was in his mid 50s when these last recordings were made] sing this song was surprising. He should have had a much longer time in the game. The band as produced by Wiliam Faith [who also brought us Autumn] captured a band at the peak of their powers. Everything here was worth our time and it must be mentioned that all of the proceeds from this album are going to Whiteaker’s family. The DL is only $7.00 but of course you’ll top off any payment, right? DJ hit that button!

DOWNLOAD ALBUM

There’s also a livestreaming album release party happening tomorrow on Bandcamp at 6:30 EDT [10:30 GMT] with The Funeral March Of The Marionettes giving their final performance of this EP with special guest vocalists. Guests include TATV GRAL, [melter] Bellhead, and William Faith. The $10 [or more] admission also nets you the album so think of this as a $3.00 livestreaming show that you might want to check out! And if the time is inconvenient, purchase allows for playback within a 48 hour window. They think of everything. So DJ hit that button, too!

LIVESTREAMING ALBUM RELASE SHOW: MARCH 15

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