According to the band, they formed in 1996 when Andy and Matthew met at the Blackwood Miners' Institute, a venue in their home town from which they were both ejected for dressing as miners. They subsequently met Jon at Reading Festival when they caught him urinating on their tent late at night.
Originally called Best, after early Beatles drummer Pete Best, the band signed to London label Seriously Groovy and released their debut record, the 3-track single Huwuno.
The changed their name to mclusky in 1999 (adopting a strictly lower-case approach to the band name, album and song titles), and the following year released their first album My Pain and Sadness is More Sad and Painful than Yours on the Fuzzbox label.
They then signed to Too Pure records and in 2002 released their second album, mclusky Do Dallas, which drew critical acclaim and international attention. In 2003, drummer Matthew Harding left and was replaced by Jack Egglestone, and in 2004 they released their third album The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not On Fire to generally positive reviews.
Their second and third albums were recorded by Steve Albini, whose influence through his legendary work with bands such as Pixies, Nirvana and The Jesus Lizard, as well his own groups Big Black and Shellac, can be easily recognised in mclusky's dense, raw sound.
On January 7th, 2005, mclusky disbanded. The reason for this parting has been kept private although they insist the decision was mutual. There is speculation that tensions within the group developed following the theft of their instruments and equipment during their US tour in 2004; in any case it seems likely that Chapple wanted to develop his songwriting in a different direction and would not have the opportunity to do so while part of mclusky.
Following the split they released the compilation mcluskyism as a single CD ('A-sides'), and a limited triple CD version containing their a-sides, b-sides, a selection of demos and rarities, and a live recording from their last headline gig at ULU, London.
Jon Chapple went on to form Shooting at Unarmed Men, while Falkous and Egglestone teamed up with former members of Jarcrew to form Future of the Left.
Problems Posing as Solutions
mclusky Lyrics
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There can only be fire in fireplaces and in firewalls.
Still I'm scared of losing touch of love.
There can only be one god in your head she said.
Ectera is for the greedy
I'm scared of losing touch of love.
And I'm glad you're dead.
There can only be one god in your head she said.
And she talks 'til she's blue in that beautiful face.
Still, I'm scared of losing touch of love.
There can only be one god in your head she said.
There's a serious side to this death-threat.
I'm scared of losing touch of love.
And I'm glad you're dead.
The lyrics to mclusky's song "Problems Posing as Solutions" present a sense of conflict and contradiction. The repeated line "there can only be one god in your head she said" suggests the presence of a controlling and dogmatic individual who forces their beliefs onto others. The lines "there can only be fire in fireplaces and in firewalls" and "Ectera is for the greedy" reinforce this idea of limitation and restriction. However, the singer expresses fear of losing touch with love, indicating a desire for freedom and connection.
The line "And I'm glad you're dead" is particularly striking, as the previous lines suggest a fear of losing control and a need for boundaries. This could be interpreted in different ways, perhaps as a reaction to the controlling individual mentioned earlier or a comment on the paradoxes of human nature.
Overall, the lyrics of this song convey a sense of tension and contradiction, reflecting the complexities of human relationships and the struggle to navigate the boundaries between control and freedom, love and fear.
Line by Line Meaning
There can only be one god in your head she said.
She is warning against filling your mind with too many conflicting beliefs or ideas.
There can only be fire in fireplaces and in firewalls.
She is saying that fire should only be contained in safe and appropriate places, just like there should only be one god in your head.
Still I'm scared of losing touch of love.
Despite this warning, she is afraid of losing connection to love.
Ectera is for the greedy
She is suggesting that people who want everything and more are greedy.
And I'm glad you're dead.
She is expressing happiness about someone's death, possibly out of bitterness or spite.
And she talks 'til she's blue in that beautiful face.
She is criticizing someone for talking excessively, even to the point of exhaustion.
There's a serious side to this death-threat.
She is acknowledging that a warning of danger should be taken seriously.
And I'm glad you're dead.
She reiterates her joy at someone's demise, possibly indicating personal satisfaction or revenge.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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