Mclusky

The British post-punk act Mclusky has learned a lot from Steve Albini, the Chicago noise-rock provocateur who recorded the group's last two albums. For one, they've picked up where Albini's on-again/off-again power trio Shellac regularly leave off, layering steel-wool guitar fuzz over architecturally precise bass-and-drums grooves as heavy as an I-beam. For another, they offset that instrumental heaviosity with an off-kilter sense of humor that suggests Beavis and Egghead: The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire, Mclusky's third album, features both "Without MSG I Am Nothing" and "You Should Be Ashamed, Seamus."