An Introduction to Mclusky
Mclusky were doomed to break up early. Bands like this are impossible to sustain. After five years and three albums (My Pain And Sadness Is More Sad And Painful Than Yours, Do Dallas and The Difference Between Me And You Is That I’m Not On Fire), the Welsh trio imploded in early 2005. They just couldn’t sustain the pressure of being the world’s fiercest, meanest, nastiest band. Led by lead singer Andy Falkous, Mclusky spearheaded the resurgence of a musical genre I like to call Asshole Rock. That is, rock music - typically steeped in a strong punk tradition - that aims to be unpleasant and uninviting. Asshole Rock’s biggest icon would be Steve Albini, the man behind such mean-spirited and horrific bands as Big Black, Rapemen and Shellac. Albini manned the boards as engineer of Mclusky’s last two albums as well as classic albums by the Jesus Lizard and the Pixies, two of Mclusky’s biggest influences.For those who are willing, here are ten tracks that illustrate the essence of Mclusky (such a pretentious phrase for such an unpretentious band). Their mix of brutal thrash and uncompromising wit is not for everybody, but those who like it, like it a lot. You’ve been warned, things are about to get very depraved.1. “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues” from Do DallasThis cacophonous thrasher is the ultimate Mclusky track. Musically it’s unrepentant, hurried, relentless, brutal and shockingly tight. Steve Albini’s production gives the bass and guitar enough metallic sheen, but it’s the drumming (ride that hi-hat, baby) that really gives the song its sonic thrust. Lyrically, it’s everything you ever wanted in a Mclusky song – rage, panic, filth, decay and a ton of wit. Falkous’ voice gargles and wheezes to the point of incomprehensibility. He’s having an emotional coronary and the band is following his drunken lead. This song is a derailed freight train full of smut magazines and bad drugs and it’s headed straight for your crappy-ass little town. Either you jump on or you’re a goner.2. “She Will Only Bring You Happiness” from The Difference Between Me And You Is That I’m Not On FireBest heard in contrast to the rest of Mclusky’s song catalogue, “Happiness” is a ballad, or as Falkous once put it, it’s “a whisper of a song making love to its own shadow.” That’s probably a better description, since most ballads don’t include a lyric like “our old singer is a sex criminal” sung in a three part round. And that’s the appeal of this track, even the softer side of Mclusky is stridently prickish, unable to repress their inner shit disturber. Also, when your opening line is lifted from an old Norm Macdonald bit, you know you have a song destined for greatness.3. “To Hell With Good Intentions” from Do DallasMore outrageously tight and catchy piss-taking from the Welsh lads. “To Hell With Good Intentions” tears up the dance floor with a propulsive drum beat, violent bass stabs and some of the most grating and out-of-tune guitar wailing you’re likely to hear on something so fun. But it’s still all about Andy Falkous’ unhinged vocal presentation and some of the band’s most daft and funny lyrics. Mclusky’s muscle flexing never sounds macho, but it still kicks the ass of most bands. Their band is better than your band. Sing it!4. “There Ain’t No Fool in Ferguson” from McluskyismA single, not officially released on any album, but an awesome find by anyone’s standards. Containing an annoyingly infectious lead line, the traditional bass stabs and one of Mclusky’s finest group singalongs, this not-so-rarity is a giddy, naughty, highly intoxicating piece of crusted bile. Falkous once again cheekily loses his bearings on the chorus and even though its mostly schtick, it always works for Mclusky. How can something be so simultaneously tight and disorienting is beyond me, but Mclusky have found the secret ingredient to all things “Asshole Rock.”
5. “Alan is a Cowboy Killer” from Do DallasReally working the soft verse/loud chorus dynamic to a hilt, Mclusky find their inner Pixies and let loose one of their most cherished tracks ever. Some fuzzy bass and guitar feedback is the perfect backdrop for Falkous to quietly croon (yes, I said croon) about having “crazy fucking times.” Before long he breathlessly coughs out the songs title and guitars and drums begin crashing into each other with reckless abandon. It’s the songs third verse that really shines, however. Instead of returning to the all out guitar and larynx assault, the band instead finds a groove and repeats the titular theme with actual melody in mind. After a couple rounds of this, plus the inclusion of a falsetto harmony, Falkous slowly starts to stray from the groove until finally the guitars erupt and the band shreds the song home.6. “Without Msg I Am Nothing” from The Difference Between Me And You Is That I’m Not On FireThis album opener storms out of the gates with abrasive guitar tones blazing. It’s raw, it’s brutal and it sounds like the Mckenzie Brothers as channeled through a roid raging Pavement. Does that make sense? Well it will when you give this track a listen. This is evil music and the chorus (“everywhere I look is a darkness”) is the hymnal of the Necronomicon.7. “Collagen Rock” from Do DallasYou know who would have hated my last entry about the Strokes? Mclusky, that’s who. “Collagen Rock” is about those fake bands, the kind that get paid ahead, the kind with delightful hair. Or as Andy Falkous puts it, the kind that’s got “fake tits.” This is Mclusky drawing a line in the sand. Either you’re a hard-working, dues-earning, blue collar, bad ass band like them, or you’re a designer jean wearing, Perrier drinking, manager twelve percenting poseur. Mclusky are not afraid of you and they will beat your ass.8. “Forget About Him, I’m Mint” from The Difference Between Me And You Is That I’m Not On FireMidtempo and relatively unthreatening, “Forget About Him, I’m Mint” showcases a sweeter, more playful side of Mclusky. References to boogie boards and X-Wings hint at an inner child more than an inner masochist. The guitars never escalate to anything harsher than Billboard era Modest Mouse, and the horn arrangements are more displaced on a Mclusky track than handclaps and synthesizers. But then there’s Mclusky for you: a pop song (albeit still evil sounding) when you’re expecting more of the some frothy-mouthed noise. What a bunch of jerks.9. “Flysmoke” from My Pain And Sadness is More Sad and Painful Than YoursMy Pain And Sadness is certainly a lesser album than the ones that would follow, but it still has its pleasures. Surrounded by relatively inferior versions of Mclusky bratty punk, “Flysmoke” stands out with its clean guitar lines and pretty (!!!?) melodies. Mclusky always did OVERoverdrive guitar and dead baby jokes best, but it’s a testament to the group’s talent that they could so impressively make an about face and get all sweet…10. “Fuck This Band” from Do Dallas…But sometimes this soft and pretty music isn’t so sweet. Falkous, always with his guns pointed outward, points it back towards his band and unleashes some scathing, self-aware critiques: “Fuck this band / Cos they swear too much / It’s an obvious ploy / And irresponsible.” It takes a grown up man to call himself on his own misguidedness. It takes an even bigger man to follow such a mature line with, “Fuck this band / Yeah fuck their holes.” For shame, Mclusky, for shame.