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“To Hell with Good Intentions” – mclusky
(Words/music: Jonathan Chapple, Andrew Falkous, Matthew Harding, available on mclusky Do Dallas, Too Pure 2002)

I’ve realized that part of the reason I enjoy songs like “To Hell with Good Intentions” is that it ends up being somewhat cathartic.  Songs like this thrive on tension, and mclusky squeeze out every ounce available between their three members.  While the guitar chords crunch and the drums pound along, Andrew Falkous slowly unwinds.  He sounds like he needs some kind of release and seeks it out by emotionally venting.   Lyrically, Falkous leans on a series of boasts about his love, band, and dad.  Yes, these kind of taunts (“my dad is bigger than your dad”) are childish, but sometimes it provides an emotional spark (albeit a cheap and often petty one).  I’m more interested in the way he sings these schoolyard taunts.  First, he arranges them as a sort of call-and-response, repeatedly demanding that his audience sings along with him.  With the thrashing behind him (in particular the start and stop riff in the verses), Falkous makes this sound like a rally cry rather than a pep rally – he wants everyone to fall in line behind him on his march “straight to hell.”  As he continues on, Falkous’ voice sounds becomes strained; what started as a confident statement about the relative size of his “love” becomes a series of howls near the end of the song.  The longer he spends in this role leading the rally, the more Falkous succumbs to his emotions.  I have a similar reaction to the song – by the end, I’m ready to start pounding along.  On those days where I’m stressed out, “To Hell with Good Intentions” provides two and a half minutes of thrashing joy, and even if it doesn’t solve my problems in that time, I feel better having screamed (or, in this case, having been screamed at).

More on mclusky: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm