| · Proving once again, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
I remember reading an interview once with Steve Albini – the surly punk rock producer and frontman of influential bands Big Black and Shellac. In it, he described something I will refer to as "The Albini Effect," in which bands capitalize on Albini’s surname in order to sell their records. Albini produces a lot of bands, some good – some not so great – but all of them mention Albini in their liner notes and press releases. Why? Because it gives the band a credible seal of approval, creating a type of schoolyard mentality in the vein of "If Steve likes them, well so do I." Alas, I give you the Tao of Steve – in the end he hates what he creates, with a bitterness usually reserved for fictional diabolical masterminds like Dr. Frankenstein.
So, what does all this mean in relation to the Mclusky record?
It was produced by Steve Albini.
And his imprint can be heard on every song. The Difference Between Me and You is That I’m Not On Fire has the smeared and stained sound that Albini is known for – where an album is painstakingly produced to sound like it hasn’t been produced.
The Welsh-born trio isn’t without their charm and Mclusky capitalizes on its sense of humour. Songs like "Without MSG I am Nothing" (where the band actually cuckoos the chorus) and "She Will Only Bring You Happiness" are by far the album’s best tracks. However, that may be the record’s biggest flaw. The album feels like it was cut in half – the first five songs are punchy and aggressive, hacking through the meat of their choruses with a carnivorous zeal. But by the end, Mclusky seems to have run out of ideas and coasts on the fumes of novelty.
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