Like anything done right, obnoxiousness can rise above its natural limitations and become, if not art, at least engaging entertainment. Mclusky, like only a select few before it (The Jesus Lizard, early Pixies), twists rock menace and nastiness into fun, fetching, smart shapes. Witness the title of the Welsh band's third album, which sums up its attitude: The Difference Between Me And You Is That I'm Not On Fire.
Far more dynamic than Mclusky's guns-blazing breakthrough Mclusky Do Dallas, the album takes time out from charging to seethe a bit: "Slay!," which alternates between whispers and paint-peeling sheets of guitar noise, is one of a few tracks that position Mclusky as a meaner Mogwai. With its garbled vocals and driving rhythm, "Lucky Jim" comes off scarier and darker than anything the band has done before: Unlike most Mclusky songs, it sounds seriously agitated instead of sarcastically agitated.
Then there's the meat of Difference: Snotty pop moments dominate the album, and funny lyrics ("Our old singer is a sex criminal" stands out) meet a sturdy, no-frills low-end, a sound once again helped along by engineer Steve Albini. Ace album opener "Without MSG I Am Nothing" and the Fall-esque "That Man Will Not Hang" provide the propulsion, while the clever, trumpet-enhanced non-rocker "Forget About Him, I'm Mint" and "Your Children Are Waiting For You To Die" apply squeaky brakes. Difference closes with "Support Systems, " a hypnotic, eight-minute brain-scraper that grows from a quiet meditation into a monolithic, barely contained monster. Like all of Mclusky's frequently great songs, it wrestles potentially grating ingredients into an album that's dark and delightful.