From what I can tell, the Albini School of Record Production is little more than turning everything up and letting the band go for it, and, from this, I can safely conclude that he gets paid for doing pretty much nothing.
Frankly, I have to say that I admire the man—either he's a recording genius or a charlatan who, by fluke alone, has managed to produce some of rock's greatest albums— Surfer Rosa, In Utero, the Mclusky stuff, and, of course, his own Big Black output.
Whichever way, the man does good work, good fucking work.
Essentially, The Difference... is a heavier, darker album. It's certainly more difficult to digest than their previous Mclusky Do Dallas.
However, I will say that, in it's defense, one song has got trumpets on it. TRUM! PETS!
Mclusky's lyrics still make no goddamn sense:
"Half way up the stairs is a good mouse," intones Falco in Lucky Jim, a song about who-the-fuck-knows-what.
"Get out of those shoes, dear, and grow wings," he chants in Icarus Smicarus, taunting me, confusing me.
And, "I get my MSG from digital TV," he confides in Without MSG I Am Nothing.
I don't know what it means. I don't know what any of it means.
Fortunately, Mclusky have a special way of lending weight to their lyrics so that, even though they read like complete and utter nonsense, they sound like they contain some hidden nugget of pure insight. So, when Falco, on Support Systems, tells you that Death is a "medium-sized yellow robot," you really have no reason to disbelieve him.
Mclusky will be touring in June and I will be watching them.
Also, there's a re-recording of a song called 1956 and All That that, as far as I know, initially appeared on their Undress for Success EP. It's not as poppy or catchy as the original version but it sounds better in context of the newer, darker material.
The Mclusky CD looks like this:
I suggest you buy it; it really is a corker.
the same thing over and over and over again
Reviewed on Monday, 24 May 2004