Bordering on hilarity and possible insanity in equal measure, Mclusky’s latest offering is brimming with all the impact of a crash test dummy hitting a wall, whilst capturing sarcastic irony in their comic book caper lyrics. With titles like ‘KK Kitchens, What Wre Yu Tinking? And ‘Forget Aout Hm I’m Mnt’, they should be designing t-shirts. Album opener ‘Without MSG I A Nthing’ has a rhythmic capability that defies the wilting lo-i guitar riff and falsetto backing vocals whilst ‘Icarus Smicarus’ sees Andy Falkous’s spitting hate and vengeance about a biblical myth or just someone he really doesn’t like.
Falkous’s vocals, whether they’re frenzied gibbering, beatnik poetry or monotone mumbling are delivered defiantly over instrumentals akin to that of the horsemen of the apocalypse riding the Guinness advert ponies on the highway to hell. Mclusky’s penchant for using the bare bones of songs before wracking them with nervous energy, crass taunts and off beat lyrical content is strangely endearing. For those sick of the conventional four chord formula, Mcluskys experimental tinkering in the most fundamental sense, is ideal.
The mood of the album shudders and grinds, but in it’s reflective moments, album closer ‘Support Systems’, sees Falkous’s claustrophobic whimpering descend into a series of searing guitar finales. Their ability to deliver bursts of thrusting power punk, with a healthy dose of sarcastic subtlety, may see them peddling thrash metal, amongst other things, but the song’s are probably about Dick Tracy. Or ball point pens. Or travelling by rickshaw…