Disclaimer

Some might say that Mcluskyism shouldn’t qualify for a Records That Time Forgot honor, because one, it was released in 2006, so not enough time has passed for anyone to forget it, and second because Mcluskyism is not an actual release but a compilation of the best work of this excellent Welsh band. But the original idea behind this section of the zine was not only to highlight the underrated and overlooked particular work of a band, but also to highlight a band that we feel deserves continuous exposure, regardless of its active or inactive status. So here it is…

The Band

Mclusky was a punk rock trio formed in 1996 in the capital and largest city of Wales, Cardiff. The group was comprised of guitarist/vocalist Andy “Falco” Falkous, bassist Jonathan Chapple and drummer Jack Egglestone.  The first band to be formed was Best, named after The Beatles’ Pete Best and it consisted of Falco and drummer Matthew Harding. At the time the two were playing with bassist Geraint Bevan and during a show they shared the stage with a band named Myrtle whose bass player was Jon Chapple. Best, with Chapple in its ranks, would sign to Seriously Groovy Records and release a 3-track single called Huwuno. In 1999, the band changed its name to Mclusky.

The Record

Mcluskyism was released in February of 2006 and is a compilation of the band’s singles. There are two versions floating the streets; a one disc version that nicely presents the best and most obnoxious work of the band and a limited edition two-disc set that includes B Sides, what’s labeled as C Sides as well as live recordings and rarities. For matters of length and because I don’t have the limited edition version, this piece only considers the first disc.

Mcluskyism starts off with “Joy” and “Rice is Nice”, two cuts out of their 2000 Fuzzbox Records debut My Pain and Sadness is More Painful and Sad Than Yours.  The elements of the band are nicely laid down here. Mclusky’s music is very obnoxious and loud and abrasive. These two cuts in particular are straight up punkers with a thin and sharp guitar sound and the belligerent vocals of Falkous going apeshit in the second (“Rice is Nice”) repeating, ‘I don’t wanna talk about it’ basically throughout the whole song.  “Whoyouknow”, the last cut out of their second full length Mclusky Do Dallas presents a cleaner but not for that less mean sound. The basics presented on their first album are still here, but Mclusky now sounds professional and as keen to draw from both nice indie melodies and super obnoxious noise chorus lines.  “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues’ is without a doubt one of the best songs this band ever wrote. Here Falco between screaming and singing atop cymbals and guitars. True, the structure has been heard before but the sheer force with which Mclusky delivers this track is impressive. The drums are super loud and when the song gets into loud mode, it sounds as if the band had suddenly gone mad.  Absolutely wonderful; this is the quintessential indie punk promise that Mclusky presented to the world back in 2002.  “To Hell With Good Intentions”, also out of Mclusky Do Dallas, is another massive cut; huge drums, obsessive bass sound, strident one note noise rock guitars and Falco’s almost spoken vocals proclaiming that ‘my love is bigger than your love’ and that ‘my dad is bigger than your dad he’s got eight cars and a house in an island’.

In contrast “Alan is a Cowboy Killer” does sound like a very electric indie rock band. Only until it gets super noisy of course, but for the most part Mclusky is clearly mixing up some of the somewhat dimmed and subtle melodies of nice indie rock and mixing them up with the volume of Shellac and Jesus Lizard. “There Ain’t No Fool in Ferguson” is brilliant with Falco delivering another one of his fantastic rants while the band rocks out another yes guitar/no guitar attack.  “1956 and All That” on the other hand sounds totally deranged. Picked out of the Steve Albini engineered 2004release The Difference Between You and Me is That I Am Not on Fire this song features trebly guitars and a final minute that just screams of madness, while “Undress for Success” is a bit of a change. Featuring strummed and controlled guitars this presents not necessarily a more calmed side to Mclusky but a breather for the listener after such relentless ear attack. “That Man Will Not Hang” uses an insistent bassline and a locked drum part

Only to give us Falco’s screamed deadpans once again. The last two songs included in Mcluskyism are “She Will Only Bring You Happiness” and “Without MSG I am Nothing”; the first one out of The Difference….  Is, like much of their other material, quite irreverent but in sound it at least doesn’t try to grab you by the back and slam you to the floor. “Without MSG is Nothing” is an amazing closer; the guitars remind me of snake charming flute playing, while Falco goes madly, ‘do, do do do do do do do…everywhere I look is a darkness.’ Another quintessential cut by Mclusky.

The After

Mclusky broke up in early 2005. There wasn’t much fuzz about it but apparently the relationship between Falco and Chapple had deteriorated.  Since then Chapple has been playing with his band Shooting at Unarmed Men first in England and then reforming it under the same name in Australia; while Falco and Egglestone formed Future of the Left with Kelson Mathias of the UK noise band Jarcrew.  As unceremonious as their end was, the break up of Mclusky signified the end of one of the most talented indie noise punk bands of the last few years. Like Falkous writes in the liner notes of Mcluskyism, ‘that’s it, then. No farewell tours, a thpusand TDK c-90s, various piss-poor attempts at merchandising, no premature deaths, no live DVDs, one serious road accident and several semi-serious ones, heart monitors, thirty five broken guitars, a world of touring, great friends, greater friends, having all of our shit stolen on presidential election day 2004..’.  Copies of Mcluskyism go for as low as $2.00 on Half.com.

MySpace

SAUM MySpace

FOTL MySpace

Read the Lost & Found article on Xysma's Lotto