McLusky - The Difference Between You and Me is that I'm Not on Fire

Fans of McLusky were no doubt introduced to the crazed Welsh three-some through their magnificent 2002 release Do Dallas, in which McLusky slayed rock ‘n’ roll with their absurd humor, white-hot guitars, and crazed yelps. Their follow-up album, The Difference Between You and Me is That I’m Not on Fire, is undoubtedly related to Do Dallas, but the energy here is toned down, insanity subdued, and artistic recklessness harnessed. Among the album’s 13 tracks there are a few surprises, most notably the strongly pop-inclined “She Will Only Bring You Happiness.” However, and thankfully, there are a number of moments on The Difference... that recall McLusky’s wide-eyed craziness. “Kkkitches, What Were You Thinking?” is pure chunky, feedback-driven rock ‘n’ roll while “Slay!” does just that with outbursts of noise. There’s even great song titles such as “Falco Vs. The Young Canoeist.” Unfortunately though, this album is a let down. But at least we still have Do Dallas to cure us. [www.toopure.com]