It’s always the same, isn’t it? You wait fifteen years for a band to release a record and then two turn up at once. After last year’s stunning comeback record, it’s time to hop aboard the Mclusky bus for their new EP – ‘I Sure Am Getting Sick Of This Bowling Alley’. It’s quite a ride.
Last year’s ‘The World Is Still Here And So Are We’ came as a surprise. It was fresh, focused, stunningly produced and better than anyone could have hoped for; especially from a band who aren’t exactly spring chickens. This new EP is precisely none of these things. It’s strange, noisy, intimate and every bit as sprawling as its title. Yet, it’s easy to recommend. So, what gives?
If you haven’t sampled Mcluksy before then this probably isn’t where to start. Although their last album was relatively straightforward, the approach here is best described as ‘weird’. All five songs are abrasive and off-putting in all kinds of ways, but they’re interesting ways. It’s shot through with panache – the flair that has you humming the repeating chorus: ‘In the piranha was another piranha’, long after hearing it, despite it seeming so off-kilter and odd. To understand why, we have to talk about Andrew Falkous. As a vocalist and lead songwriter, his choices define Mcluksy’s sound, approach and sense of humour, all of which are distinctive. Without a doubt, he is both an artist and a self-sabotaging genius who expresses himself though music. In Mclusky, he is accompanied by bassist Damien Sayell and drummer Jack Eggleston, who also share this affliction. If ‘The World Is Still Here And So Are We’ proved they could still make great music, this EP proves they still have no interest in compromise. And this is what makes it so good.
In many ways the EP has more in common with Falkous’ solo work, released under the moniker Christian Fitness. As a sort of ‘subscriber-only’ project with no need to write singles or play shows, he was able to sing honest and intimate songs, as well as explore unsettling soundscapes that literally prompt nightmares. That’s what is happening here, even when it’s abstract. Singing the title of ‘This Is My Brain On Elves’ over a badly strung guitar is haunting and weirdly honest. Indeed each song is striking, peculiar and built upon interesting ideas. ‘I Know Computer’ is not powered by a wandering bassline, but a scuttling one. It moves around in strange circles, dipping in and out, and pinching like a lobster at a picnic. The guitars on ‘As A Dad’ are scratchy and insistent, as if desperate to intrude upon the vocals. The softer, less abrasive ‘Hi! We’re On Strike’ buzzes like a piece of tracing paper wrapped around a comb, only for it to contort into a machine driven by pistons. Every choice is vivid; every song brilliant.
It’s a tough sell unless you’re already on Mcluksy’s wavelength. But ‘I Sure Am Getting Sick Of This Bowling Alley’ is a slice of unhinged genius.
IAN KENWORTHY