Mclusky Do Dallas

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Mclusky Do Dallas
Studio album by
Released1 April 2002
RecordedApril–June 2001
Studio
Genre
Length36:00
LabelToo Pure
ProducerSteve Albini
Mclusky chronology
My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours
(2000)
Mclusky Do Dallas
(2002)
The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire
(2004)
Singles from Mclusky Do Dallas
  1. "Whoyouknow / Love Song For a Mexican"
    Released: 30 July 2001
  2. "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues"
    Released: 12 November 2001
  3. "To Hell with Good Intentions"
    Released: 11 March 2002
  4. "Alan Is a Cowboy Killer"
    Released: 9 September 2002

Mclusky Do Dallas is the second studio album by Welsh indie rock band Mclusky, released on 1 April 2002 by Too Pure.

Mclusky Do Dallas spawned four singles: "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues", "Whoknowyou", "To Hell with Good Intentions", and "Alan Is a Cowboy Killer". The album was re-released on limited edition white marble and clear orange vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive in 2012.

The album's title is a spin on the 1978 pornographic film Debbie Does Dallas.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
LAS Magazine8.5/10[2]
NME7/10[3]
NOW[4]
Pitchfork8.4/10[5]
Rock Hard8.5/10[6]
Spin8/10[7]
StylusD[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes4.5/5[9]

The album received critical acclaim upon release. Tim DiGravina of AllMusic wrote that the album is "every bit as dynamic, thunderous, and accomplished as Relationship of Command, Come on Pilgrim, and Nevermind [...] The mad vocals of Andy Falkous make Black Francis look like a geeky school kid in comparison", ending the review by calling it "a fascinating, addictive album that never grows old, never takes itself too seriously, and never grates despite its absolutely raging dynamics."[1] "At the end of the day, what separates Mclusky Do Dallas from all of the shit being passed off as punk or heavy rock is their sense of humor and their ability to not take themselves seriously" writes Jean-Pierre of Tiny Mix Tapes.[9] Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork wrote that their "infectiously poppy songwriting [...] works to keep the mood varied" given that their "straight-up songs" are "wrack(ed) with nervous energy", calling it "one of the tightest, jumpiest, straight-up rock albums around."[5]

Legacy[edit]

Retrospective views[edit]

Retrospectively, the album is viewed very positively and is often considered the band's "breakthrough".[10][11] JR Moores, writing for The Guardian, called it "the most gloriously sardonic collection of caustic-yet-catchy mini-anthems of its era" and bemoaned its lack of popularity upon release.[12] Candice Eley of Treble called it a "masterpiece [...] an album as hardcore and as cheeky as its title might imply."[13] Kyle Fowle of Spectrum Culture considers it to be "a monumental album. It may not be the most revolutionary revision of the punk rock aesthetic or vision, but it’s definitely the most fun. There’s a perfect balance present on the record; Mclusky is focused on creating a foreboding, harsh, loud record, but never once take themselves too seriously. The overdriven guitar solos and Falkous’ shriek hit you like a freight train, but are never alienating or unwanted. There's no overarching political or creative statement, just three guys beating the shit out of their instruments and having a blast doing it. You can't ask for much more from one of the definitive records of the 2000s."[14] "No question about it," writes George Lang for NewsOK, "2002's “Mclusky Do Dallas” was the most hilarious record the Pixies never made, an album built from lacerating music and equally serrated wit that was custom-built for furious road trips and decibel therapy."[15] Phoenix New Times ranked it third on their list of "10 Underrated Punk Albums That Should Be Considered Classics", with Tom Reardon writing: "Like the first two records on this list [Frankenchrist and Worlds Apart], this is a great record from a great band, but it has been largely ignored by way too many people. Sure, it's noisy and disrespectful to just about anyone with a shred of pop sensibility, but it also totally rocks."[16]

Accolades[edit]

In addition to the ones listed below, the song "To Hell with Good Intentions" was ranked number 40 in BBC Radio DJ John Peel's Festive Fifty for 2002.

Publication Country Accolade Rank
Pitchfork US Top 200 Albums of the 2000s 94[17]
Cokemachineglow Canada Top 100 Albums of the 2000s 15[18]
Beats Per Minute US The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s 66[19]
The A.V. Club US The best music of the decade 48[20]
NME UK The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time 353[21]
Top 100 Albums of the 2000s 82[22]
eMusic US eMusic's 100 albums of the decade 74[23]

Covers[edit]

The song "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" has been covered live by Bully[24] and Fight Like Apes on their debut album Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion. The former also covered the track "No New Wave No Fun" live.[25] Japandroids covered "To Hell with Good Intentions" live[26] and on their EP All Lies (later compiled on No Singles).

In popular culture[edit]

"Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" was included on the soundtrack to Observe and Report.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Andy Falkous, Jonathan Chapple, and Matthew Harding, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" 1:51
2."No New Wave No Fun" 2:19
3."Collagen Rock" 2:52
4."What We've Learned" 1:54
5."Day of the Deadringers" 3:01
6."Dethink to Survive" 1:58
7."Fuck This Band" 3:38
8."To Hell with Good Intentions" 2:25
9."Clique Application Form" 1:53
10."The World Loves Us and Is Our Bitch" 2:23
11."Alan Is a Cowboy Killer" 4:09
12."Gareth Brown Says" 1:50
13."Chases"
  • Falkous
  • Chapple
  • Harding
  • Simon Alexander
1:47
14."Whoyouknow / Reviewing the Reviewers" 3:53

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b DiGravina, Tim. "Mclusky Do Dallas – Mclusky". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. ^ Hodges, Lyle (1 October 2004). "McLusky: McLusky Do Dallas". LAS Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  3. ^ Segal, Victoria (12 September 2005). "Mclusky : Mclusky Do Dallas". NME. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. ^ "McLusky McLusky". 7 November 2002.
  5. ^ a b Dahlen, Chris (19 September 2002). "Mclusky: Mclusky Do Dallas". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  6. ^ "MCLUSKY - Mclusky do Dallas".
  7. ^ "The Breakdown". Spin. 19 (2): 99. February 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  8. ^ "McLusky - do Dallas - Review - Stylus Magazine".
  9. ^ a b Jean-Pierre. "Mclusky – Mclusky Do Dallas". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  10. ^ Modell, Josh (18 May 2004). "Mclusky: The Difference Between Me And You Is That I'm Not On Fire". Music.
  11. ^ "Mclusky". 10 June 2004.
  12. ^ Moores, J. R. (31 May 2016). "Cult heroes: Mclusky and Future of the Left's barbed wordsmith". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  13. ^ Terich, Jeff (3 April 2006). "Truly Great: McLusky".
  14. ^ "Rediscover: Mclusky: Mclusky Do Dallas". Spectrum Culture. 15 May 2012.
  15. ^ "Music Review: Future of the Left, 'The Plot Against Common Sense'". NewsOK.com. 15 June 2012.
  16. ^ Reardon, Tom (25 August 2014). "10 Underrated Punk Albums That Should Be Considered Classics". Phoenix New Times.
  17. ^ Pitchfork staff (30 September 2009). "Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  18. ^ "Cokemachineglow". Cokemachineglow.
  19. ^ "The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s | Beats Per Minute". beatsperminute.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012.
  20. ^ "The best music of the decade". Music. 19 November 2009.
  21. ^ Barker, Emily (23 October 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 400-301". NME.
  22. ^ "The Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade". NME. 11 November 2009.
  23. ^ "eMusic's 100 albums of the decade". 26 November 2009.
  24. ^ Webster, Libby (13 March 2018). "SXSW Music Review: Bully, Wye Oak, Superchunk". www.austinchronicle.com.
  25. ^ Stirling, Sebastian (9 January 2016). "Bully just covered Mclusky's "No New Wave No Fun" good times".
  26. ^ "Japandroids Cover Mclusky For Saucony". 19 May 2010.

External links[edit]