Customer Reviews

The Difference Between Me & You Is That I'm Not on Fire

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You don't have the time and neither do I. But you must know. This Welsh trio is the last vestige of 90s noise guitar rock. Ugly and smart. Catchy and difficult. Funny in the blackest manner. This album is a warehouse of diverse sounds in a very specific style. Pixies, Shellac, The Fall, Fugazi - it's all here. Music for the end of the world. Songs reveal themselves to me, daily. Mclusky is a cathartic colonic. The only downside is it may be too much for your lame ass in one sitting. Perhaps it could have been better sequenced. No matter, you need this.

While McLusky faced a daunting task trying to match 2002's classic "mclusky do dallas," their newest, the hilariously titled "the difference between me and you is that i'm not on fire" actually manages to somehow improve on its predecessor. "mclusky do dallas" proved that this band had the irreverent, uncompromising aesthetic of punk down pat, but at the same time it hinted at a band that wasn't content to rest within the genre's generally narrow confines. "difference" continues in that direction, injecting even more variety into McLusky's sound for a truly dynamic, dare I say experimental, album. Now that's not to say there isn't plenty of aggression here: "that man will not hang," "kkkitchens, what were you thinking," and "falco vs. the young canoeist" are as abrasive and confrontational as anything on "mclusky do dallas," with Andrew Falkous spitting out his semi-coherent vocals over big, fuzzed-out guitar riffs and jumbled rhythms. However, there are plenty of signs of branching out to be found elsewhere. "she will only bring you happiness," a demented, yet strangely addictive, take on power pop that sounds sort of like one of the Pixies' mellower moments, sees Falkous gently intoning such oddball lyrics as "Our old singer is a sex criminal." "your children are waiting for you to die" is a slow, lilting tune, filled with chiming guitars, that's actually rather pleasant in its own weird way. "slay!" and "you should be ashamed, seamus" comprise a double shot of sonic malevolence; the former alternating between passages of subdued calm and rampaging white noise, the latter bringing a clenched, metallic fury to the proceedings. In a major curveball, yet another poppish tune, "forget about him i'm mint" forsakes the guitars for horns, resulting in a decidedly non-punkish sound. The band decided to save the real shocker for the end, though. The eight-minute closer "support systems," starting out with about three minutes of near silence before building to a prolonged crescendo propelled by frenzied guitars and pummelling drumbeats, may be as close as McLusky will ever come to writing an epic. It's the perfect way to end an album that represents a giant step forward for one of the most creative, unique, and downright fun bands I've heard in a while. Produced with the perfect mix of rawness and depth by Steve Albini, "difference" is sure to alienate normal, well-adjusted people everywhere. Needless to say, I love it.

yeah, so, if you bought do dallas and said, man, this rocks, but i wish it was played by killer robots from the future, boy, is it your lucky day.

difference is really good. if you don't like being rocked, forget it, and if you don't like really loud music, also, forget it. is it the best thing in the world? nah. there are a couple of tracks that meander, which isn't neccessarily a bad thing, but sometimes i skip them, a sign that the album isn't perfect.

but it is the self-consciously obnoxious nut-kicking rock that mclusky fans have come to love, and it's even raw-er than dallas or pain and sadness, if you can imagine such a thing, which you can't, because really, there's not very much that's this raw. and steve albini may be sort of a one-trick-producer, but he knows it, he does it here, and it's a really good trick. this album is like a huge bag of rocks, except the bag is sharp and the rocks are lava, but more like really fast lava with teeth.

so get it, and rock, or don't because if you're in the same room as this album, the room really doesn't need your rocking in it. the room is too busy to even care whether you're rocking or not.

never ones to take the easy way out. after releasing what most fans think is their best album ('do dallas'), mclusky made an album that altogether darker in tone. then they split, like you do
so what of it then? like i said altogether darker in tone but gotta admit i prefer it to previous releases, probably for that reason. it's not just that of course. credit must be given to steve albini and the drummer for creating sounds that reverberate, right from the opener 'without msg...'. to be honest where the album falls is on its two 'gentler' tracks 'she will...' and 'forget...' (coincidence? i dunno...). proof that great lyrics and titles are nothing without tha music. highlights for me are 'msg', '...seamus' (and fair play to getting the spelling correct too!), 'support systems' and '1956 and all that'. those of who who are looking for something a bit quieter well, ...look elsewhere. i'll stick to noise pollution, thanks.
sadly these guys are with us no more (there's even a 'best of' - yipes!). which is a shame cos i'd love to see where they went from this record
4.5 stars, round up

Mclusky follow up the catchy "Do Dallas" with a post-punk thriller that gets better with every listen. Their depth will astound you--they are more than punk pranksters--and their monstrous guitars will hollow you out. Smart, ferocious, vital.

It must be a hard task to follow up an album as great as Mclusky Do Dallas, but Mclusky have hit another home run with The Difference Between Me & You is That I'm Not on Fire. The Welsh trio have gone in a darker direction with this album; the big rock hooks are largely discarded in favour of snarling, noisy punk. Songs like "Slay!" and "Support Systems" are amazingly loud, verging on death metal at times. Steve Albini's production fits Mclusky perfectly again, I can't imagine them recording with anyone else. The result is an album that is a lot less accessible but ultimately just as rewarding as their previous effort. This is real, vital rock and roll.

Not as funny or as catchy as "Mclusky Do Dallas" but certainly more evil, and I'll take evil over funny and catchy any day. You wanna know just how evil this really is? The nicest-sounding song on the album contains the line, "our old singer is a sex criminal" and another song is called "Your Children Are Waiting For You To Die." And don't even get me started on "Slay!" The bad vibes start out right from the soon to be classic opener "Without MSG I Am Nothing" and don't let up until "Support Systems" washes them all away with a wall of feedback and the lines "think of death as a medium sized yellow robot." I feel closer to satan just thinking about it.

McLusky gently refine and expand their goofball approach to lather their final release with enough oddball appeal.

What can you call this? Punk? grunge? Alternative? Rock? Call it frickin' awesome. These lads were recommended to me by some UK rock band called Larp. In their distinct Brit accents they described Mclusky as "F@#$ing Brilliant. Absolutely f@#$%ing brilliant." I was skeptical but picked this album up and was blown away. their choice of wry and sarcastic lyrics are witty and reminiscent of the tv show "the Young Ones". Very British, but not like a mouth full of vinegar and salt. their melodies and tones are rough, almost garage like, off-key, yet builds itself into an harmony so odd or awkward, it's beautiful. The majority of these tracks are strong and driven, like the nails in my coffin. They rock. The weakest song is one in which the band progressively plays lower and lower, as the singer is merely whispering the words, coming to an immediate crash of sound.
This is a great entry by the Brits and worthy of those who have good taste. They're brilliant. Absolutely f@#$ing brilliant.

So, Mclusky imploded shortly after this bombshell was released. Heartbreaking, I say. This band sounded like no other (at least during the past 10 years). Forget the Pixies influence. The Pixies only wish they could match Mclusky's intensity and humor. Let's hope the Falko and Chappelle come up with something as interesting with their new outfits. In the meantime, please run out and buy this disc along with "Dallas". You won't be disappointed. R.I.P. Mclusky!!