Mcluskyism
WhenMcLusky Do Dallascame out, the band seemed like another apoplectic burst of rock 'n' roll madness that could go the way of Nirvana, busting out hugely. Just listen to the opening blast of album closer "Whoyouknow" and the exasperated yowl of the Welsh trio's yeller Andy Falkous as he cranks up the chorus, "Your heart's turned the color of Coca Cola / Rescind yourself as you get older / Younger faces come to steal your fire," and you can see how McLuskly could be widely loved. Truth is, the trio never broke through. Falkous's open-bore Les Paul playing never quite hit the major musical arteries.McLusky Do Dallasis, though, a mighty roar, peerless in its lyric zings and its all-out palpitations of guitar, bass, drums, and screams. So it is fitting that the central tracks on this "hits" collection,McLuskyism, re-capture the thrillride ofDo Dallas, along with a bunch of other assorted bone-jarring ditties. (With this limited edition, you also get McLusky live on DVD, where the tunes seem to shake loose the very structure of the band's physical bodies--especially the liquefied body of bassist and co-howler Jon Chapple.) You get early singles, and you get a couple gems off their swan song,The Difference Between You and Me is that I'm Not on Fire. But it's "Whoyouknow" that sums up the short-lived band--all else is gravy. Angry, petulant, and deeply funny (as in the line "My band is bigger than your band / We take more drugs than a touring funk band"--this from mostly straight-edge guys), the McLusky experience needs a huge hug to fully embrace the corralled fury.--Andrew Bartlett