Mclusky - The Difference Between You &; Me..

ith 2002's Mclusky Do Dallas Mclusky wore their Pixies influence proudly on their sleeve, to the extent of having Steve Albini twiddling the knobs, bragged about being "tired from fucking too much," claimed that not only was their dad bigger than our dads but that he had "eight cars and a house in Ireland," and generally put the fun back in "touring funk band," while insouciantly delivering one of the best albums of the year.

A quick glance at both the new album and track titles seemed to confirm that Mclusky were still in top form, with gems such as "Without MSG I Am Nothing," "Your Children Are Waiting for you to Die," and "You Should Be Ashamed Seamus."

Well, TDBYAMITINOF, as it shall hereafter be referred to, is a significant change from Mclusky Do Dallas, by and large lacking both the immediacy and pop sensibility of the former, with Albini and the band deciding to bury the vocals to the extent that it sometimes seems as if lead singer Andy Falkous is singing with a bag over his head. If I had to describe TDBYAMITINOF in a single word, it would be 'grim.' The opener, "Without MSG I Am Nothing" sets the tone for the rest of the album, with the band literally hooting over a spiky, one finger guitar riff, culminating in Falkous repeatedly sneering "Everywhere I look is a darkness / Everywhere I look is a darkness."

"That Man Will Not Hang" is one of the better tracks on the album and a good choice for a first single, combining a muscular bass line with lyrics that -- by Mclusky standards -- are downright sensitive and new-agey: "Realized he wanted to have children with this girl / he pulled her to his side and quietly / Gave away his heart like it was his to give away / Gave away his heart like it was his to give away."

"She Will Only Bring You Happiness" is probably the closest Mclusky come to the subversive black humor of Mclusky Do Dallas, with its initial "Note to self, be erect by half-past ten, be strong, be proud, be able, be charmed" and its closing sing-a-long refrain of "Our old singer is a sex criminal." "Kkkitchens, What Were You Thinking?" is a bruising two-note chainsaw of a song with a bass line reminiscent of another Steve Albini enterprise, Big Black.

Things tend to slump in the middle of TDBYAMITINOF, with the dreary, plodding "Your Children Are Waiting For You To Die," and while I'm sure the loud-quiet-loud of "Slay" seemed like a good idea at the time, and might even work well in a live situation, it's basically a dud.

Towards the end, Mclusky completely shift gears, delivering a little ditty called "Forget About Him," that crams references to rickshaws, thorazine, boogy boards, x-wing fighters, and Mag Levs into less than two minutes and sounds like an abandoned stray from a They Might Be Giants recording session down the hall.

When I listened to TDBYAMITINOF first, I was fairly sure I was going to give it a low rating, but it has grown on me. For someone reading this who hasn't heard Mclusky, I'd still recommend Mclusky Do Dallas as a starting point.

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