Mclusky, "The Only Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not On Fire"

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This place is flooded with music writers - please tell me someone besides DiS (http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/9382.html) has heard this already. Or, if not, here is a place to wait and salivate. For this album, that is.

― Simon H., Thursday, 8 April 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Is 'Fire' supposed to read 'Sire'?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

N. wins.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

It's not as immediate as the last record, but not really any the worse for that. There's a bona-fide hit single in the shape of 'She Will Only Bring You Happiness', except that it ends with the lyrics "Our old singer is/ A sex criminal" sung in three-part harmony. The influence of stuff like Shellac and Slint is a little heavier. A few of the less tuneful tracks strike me as a little throwaway, a fact exacerbated by the fact that Andy Falkous' vocals are often distorted until they're barely coherent (I think 'Lucky Jim' is a culprit). But it's well-paced, and at forty minutes, it certainly doesn't outstay its welcome. I still love this band.

― Jason J, Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Is this on Slsk or owt yet?

― ferg (Ferg), Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

man i can't wait

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Not on Slsk, though I've spotted the "That Man Will Not Hang" CDS once or twice.

― Simon H., Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

what's the release date on this?

by the way I met them when they played Chicago and they were some of the nicest people in the world

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it's May 17th in the UK, and a day very close to that in the US. I've no idea if it's online yet - I've got a promo copy.

― Jason J, Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm psyched.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 8 April 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Wondered for a moment why the chorus of "That Man Will Not Hang" was so familiar. Then it hit me. I will not spoil the fun for those of you who haven't heard it yet.

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 9 April 2004 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

dammit to hell, I've been haunting Soulseek for the past month. I'm fixin' to implode with longing...well, back to work

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 9 April 2004 01:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Douglas, I've heard "That Man..." (at least the crappy radio rip) and I know not of what you speak. Explain yourself!

― Simon H., Friday, 9 April 2004 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, I'm listening to it right now and aside from a slight Fallness I don't hear nuttin'

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 9 April 2004 02:43 (twenty-one years ago)

As JJ said it's a lot less immediate than the last album. And they've obscured the vocals with distortion/muffling for no good reason on a lot of it. That's a particular shame cos the ones you can hear are as total genius as ever.

The opening track is total classic, they're using the guitars as blocks of distortion which I don't think would work if they had any other producer and which doesn't quite come across live.

"KKKitchens What Were You Thinking?" is worth it for the title alone.

There's a load of other great stuff too.

They're obviously trying to stretch themselves a bit which I like.
But, because they're stretching, sometimes they don't have the total mastery of form they had on the last album.

Overall, despite being a huge fan, I have to say it's not quite as good as "Mclusky Do Dallas", but I'd prefer that to a record equally as good as the last one and very similar to it.

It ends with lyrics like "Think of death as a medium-sized yellow robot."

Genius!

― mei (mei), Friday, 9 April 2004 06:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Is "Support Systems" really as tedious as DiS suggests? It would be a terrible waste of 8 minutes if so.

Also, is there really a horn solo by a member of Shellac somewhere in there?

― Simon H., Friday, 9 April 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Bob Weston plays trumpet on 'Forget About Him I'm Mint'.

― Jason J, Friday, 9 April 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

can't wait! man this year is shaping up awesome for music!!!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 9 April 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

recently my ears have not been violated in such a fine fashion as they have been by 'The Only Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not On Fire'.

I'm on slsk by the way. [boomnoise!zoo]

be nice to me. i'll be nice back.

― myke boomnoise (myke boomnoise), Friday, 9 April 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoo! I downloaded up to "Lucky Jim" this morning and I'm working now on the rest. So...far back...in queue...

― Simon H., Friday, 9 April 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Finished it up and converted it to .mp3 from .wma. It is indeed a very noisy and very good album. I will need to listen much more to determine its place in the Mclusky legacy.

If anyone wants it my slsk name is remmelt.

― Simon H., Saturday, 10 April 2004 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Queued. Psyched. But why such a dire title?

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 10 April 2004 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Dire? Perhaps. I always thought it was funny in a Mclusky sort of way. But then the whole album is sort of "dire" in the classical sense.

― Simon H., Saturday, 10 April 2004 04:02 (twenty-one years ago)

It was going to be called McLusky Are Fucking Dead so I'd call it a lucky escape, personally

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 10 April 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't know this many people liked them round these parts - very nice to see

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 10 April 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I am listening to the fucker right now at colossal volume LALALA

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 10 April 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

GODDAMMIT soulseek is down.
I've heard kk kitchens, icarus shmicarus and this man will not hang so far and love them all. I've got the shit Radio One streams though and haven't heard the album versions.

Seems like they're definetely making a conscious move away from the Pixies. It sounds alot darker and heavier and not very playful. I didn't know what to expect based on the singles they've realeased since Does Dallas but I'm thoroughly impressed by what I've heard so far.

― Shaun (shaun), Saturday, 10 April 2004 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds like mclusky's been listening to a little les savy fav. especially onshe will only bring you happiness.

― cutty (mcutt), Sunday, 18 April 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I would just like to say Hooray! for Mclusky. I got a t-shirt of their's at ATP which says Mclusky on the front (in courier) and 'SHITROCK' on the back. It suits me like a motherfucker. On soulseek just now. waiting, waiting. bring it on.

― hmmm (hmmm), Monday, 19 April 2004 09:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Dire? This is the best title- ever.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 19 April 2004 10:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't really 'get' Mclusky's songs, but their song and album titles are always the best.

― jellybean (jellybean), Monday, 19 April 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

FUCKING HOTTT.

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 24 May 2004 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Welcome return to form after that shitty 'Undress for Success' single. And they're coming here! I hope I can hang around them and drink all their vodka again. (Although not being sick for two days afterward would be a bonus)

― Sasha (sgh), Monday, 24 May 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh shit yeah, I totally forgot that this was out, and also that I've got it. The 'our old singer is a sex criminal' singsong is super-jaunty.

― Fergal (Ferg), Monday, 24 May 2004 16:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Wondered for a moment why the chorus of "That Man Will Not Hang" was so familiar. Then it hit me. I will not spoil the fun for those of you who haven't heard it yet.

I'm still waiting for Douglas to explain this.

Also, "Icarus Schmicarus" is my new favoritest song ever.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 24 May 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Icarus Shmicarus fucking POUNDS.
As does Seamus and kkkitchens. June 22 at Mercury Lounge, can't wait.

― hogrot, Monday, 31 May 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

at first I was disappointed-Donna in WHAT WAS I THINKING shock! Friday night @ Neumo's, be there or, well, you know

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Monday, 31 May 2004 18:52 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds like mclusky's been listening to a little les savy fav. especially onshe will only bring you happiness.

No, not Les Savy Fav. "She Will Only Bring You Happiness" sounds like it could be an Archers Of Loaf song in terms of melody, structure, lyrics, and guitar style. It's probably the best Archers Of Loaf song ever.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 31 May 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

this album is making me feel so fucking happy today. this album may be the one that finally pushes me into agreeing with the guitarists in my band that steve albini's recordings are truly great. not to diminish mclusky, of course - they are 9/10 of why this record is so good. but albini's tenth rules, too.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 22 October 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I just picked this up and am enjoying it tremendously....doesn't have the hooks of do dallas, but it's a little more vicious and artier....i kind of appreciate the songs that DO have big hooks more cuz of the structure of the album....

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 22 October 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe ill get the first one today or tomorrow... its totally worth getting, then?

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 22 October 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

The first one, "My Pain and Sadness...," is fine.
The second one, "...Do Dallas," is awesome.
The third one, "The Difference...," is good.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 22 October 2004 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

right - i forgot about my pain.... i meant do dallas.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 22 October 2004 16:30 (twenty-one years ago)

you are all gay

― sometimes i like to pretend i am very small and warm (ex machina), Friday, 22 October 2004 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

ilm's gay police: on the case, 24-7

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 22 October 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

the only thing im gay for is mclusky and cock.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 22 October 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

You too? Apparently I'm double-gay today, since I like McLusky and the Blood Brothers. I guess that means I'm into doing two dudes at once.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 22 October 2004 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

fag

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 22 October 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyways, yeah, get "...Do Dallas," it's a monster. A monster with a big cock and tasty balls.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 22 October 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

awesome. i cant wait. albini produced that one also, right?

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 22 October 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Yup.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 22 October 2004 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000024D4S.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 23 October 2004 09:32 (twenty years ago)

you are all gay

I am listening to AIR CONDITIONING and thinking happy thoughts about my friends McLusky ie MANLY BEHAVIOUR

― DJ Mencap0))), Saturday, 23 October 2004 11:24 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

― Jason J, Saturday, 8 January 2005 02:25 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

the difference >>>> do dallas. im sayin it.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

I agree, Peter.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 18:25 (twenty years ago)

Ill go with it, more variety I suppose. And even though "She will bring you happiness" is quite universally liked I find it supremely underrated, that song kills!

― jmeister (jmeister), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

that's not wrong. and when are we going to see this 3cd retrospective thingy? i want to hear that.

― mark h, Wednesday, 20 April 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah - i forgot about that 3cd thing. exciting! i swear, every day, i love this album like 10% more than the day before. the more i think about it, the more i think that those first three songs are one of the best, purest statements of intent by a current rock band. maybe ill start a thread about this.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 21 April 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

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