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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Superchunk: Success on Their Own Terms... Dedication and creativity secret to in
Wednesday 10 July @ 09:49:31 |
 by Rob van Altsyne
Superchunk are an indie-rock institution. Since storming out of Chapel Hill at the dawn of the ‘90s with guitars ablaze, the band has channeled post-punk melodic energy better than any other group. Like all great groups, however, Superchunk’s sound has shifted over the years. Once typified by spiky guitars and high-rev riffs, the band has managed to gradually incorporate new instruments (keyboards, brass, orchestration), differing song tempos (not every Superchunk song hurtles along at 90 mph anymore) and even new singing styles (McCaughan’s lovely falsetto dominated nearly every track on 1999’s Come Pick Me Up after being in hiding for years), without alienating an ardent fan base—and continually astounding critics. Along the way singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan and bass player Laura Balance also managed to form Merge records, at first a venue for self-releasing their own material, and now arguably the best independent label in rock, home to a wide variety of eccentric and important artists.
Superchunk released their eighth studio recording this past fall, Here’s to Shutting Up, a perfect distillation of all the elements that make latter-day Superchunk music worthwhile, and a display of a group that continues to innovate at a point in their career when most bands are content to relive (and rewrite) past musical glories.
Longtime Superchunk listeners were hit with a series of surprises on the new album. Even those listeners already acclimated to the experimental bent that Jim O’Rourke’s string arrangement and production work gave Come Pick Me Up undoubtedly found their jaws dropping at the elegant keyboard-driven “Drool Collection” and were unprepared for the deft touches of pedal steel (courtesy of the Japancake’s John Neff) that provide rustic coloring to “Phone Sexx.” Superchunk are a band known for re-invention, but with Here’s to Shutting Up they’ve truly outdone themselves, recasting themselves as a melancholic primarily acoustic outfit that still manages to imbue their songs with the passionate charge of the best rock ’n’ roll, without relying on its musical conventions.
Those preferring the head-bopping Superchunk of old weren’t left completely unsatisfied by the new record. “Florida’s On Fire,” “Out on the Wing,” and “Art Class (song for Yayoi Kusama)” rank up with any of Superchunk’s past singles in terms of pure kinetic energy. It’s a telling sign, however, that McCaughan opted to release the low-key mid-tempo “Late-Century Dream” as the album’s first single, instead of a more obvious selection.
A willingness to create great music regardless of fan expectations is now at the heart of Superchunk’s music as they move into their second decade as a band. Whereas Portastatic, McCaughan’s recording side-project, was once considered by fans as the designated outlet for any experimental tendencies in his song-writing, McCaughan is clearly enthused that the walls have broken down in terms of what styles Superchunk perform. “The difference between Superchunk and Portastatic now is entirely in the collaboration.
Portastatic is something I do alone, “Superchunk” is about the four of us writing together. The combination of our four personalities is what makes it “Superchunk,” even if it were just the four of us banging on pots and pans, I would consider it Superchunk music.”
Although he’s been at the game longer than almost all of his current rivals, McCaughan still sounds excited about the possibilities that the world of music has to offer. “I think music is still just as important to me now if not more so than it was back in ’91,” claims McCaughan. “At that time Superchunk wasn’t a full time job. Now when I’m not doing the band or Portastatic I’m working at Merge. Whenever I have spare time I’m recording a lot or writing which wasn’t always the case before. Some things definitely change over time in terms of feelings about going out on tour and being away from home, but the role of music definitely hasn’t. Music is an even more full-on passion for me than when we first started the band.”
In addition to setting a high musical standard, Superchunk provide the perfect role-model for indie-bands looking to control their own fate, as many expected the band to jump ship for the majors early on after releasing a string of successful albums with Matador. The benefits of running Merge and being his own boss seem obvious to McCaughan, “There was definitely a whole line of questioning a couple of years ago when the major label feeding frenzy was still going on that always annoyed me,” McCaughan recalls. “In the past I would run into people who were always really puzzled, like, ‘don’t you want to sell more records?’ That line of questioning just seems so inane to me. After seeing what happens to bands that go down that road I don’t see how you could ever honestly ask that question. Of course we want to sell more records, but at what cost? Obviously we love doing what we do and want as many people as possible to hear it, but we only want to do it in a way that we’re comfortable with.”
Superchunk play Mon., Jul. 15, at the Quest Club with youngsters the Get Up Kids and Audio Learning Center. 5 p.m. $15/$15. All-Ages. 110 N. 5th St., Mpls. 612-338-3383.
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