Thirty Days of Music- Part XIX

Every time I am afforded the opportunity to write about Mclusky, I feel nothing less than disgustingly giddy to the point of nausea.

People only started taking notice of the Welsh wunderkind after the release of “Mclusky Do Dallas” in 2002, but before the reign of Albini, there was a smattering of songs that started life as demos and developed into a no-wave début, unbridled in its coarseness, thrilling in its vigour.

“The Difference Between Me and You Is That I’m Not On Fire” could almost be deemed my favourite album on the merits of “Without MSG I am Nothing” alone*, but the reason that particular accolade is bestowed upon “My Pain and Sadness is more Sad and Painful than Yours” is probably the same reason almost every indie popper in existence cites “Slanted and Enchanted” as their favourite Pavement album. Not because they “lost it” after Gary Young left. He was a perpetually drunk hippie who couldn’t play in time. Because there’s nothing quite like your first time. It may be absolutely atrocious compared to future times, to more polished, perfected attempts, like the Wowee Zowees of the world (which, by the way, is infinitely better than Slanted…), but sometimes, the sound of a band in the fledgling throes of cutting an LP, the roughness, the green passion, combine and create an unforgettable sonic sucker punch in a tremulous gut.

I digress.

“My Pain and Sadness” is, and always will be my favourite Mclusky album and my favourite album period, for many reasons. I detest lo-fi born out of laziness, but I also don’t demonise the four track. This album is a paradigm of finding beauty in the DIY shambolic. The songs are heavier, crunchier, chaotic, gruelling, arduous, introspective, reflective, affecting, arousing and exciting than anything else the band has produced. Only just, mind.

Day nineteen is a song from your favourite album.

* a DISGUSTINGLY brilliant song