Published on Nov 18, 2000
It has been a decade since the North Carolina rock band known as
Superchunk first burst onto the indie rock scene with their Gen X
anthem, “Slack Motherfucker”, a song that helped lay the groundwork
for the alternative rock movement. In that decade, Superchunk have
made numerous recordings that very rarely wavered from their
trademark sound of stinging guitars and tuneful melodies. While
they have never really made a bad CD, they were long overdue for a
change in their sound to stay fresh, or else end up being the indie
rock equivalent of Boston.
Enter their latest CD,
Come Pick Me Up, and right from the getgo, you can tell
things are going to be different as “So Convinced” starts out with
drummer Jon Wurster banging out a weird rhythm as Laura Ballance’s
fuzz bass comes grumbling in the background before singer Mac
McCaughan warbles his first word. The mostly midtempo song speeds
up at the end with McCaughan and Jim Wilbur’s guitars squalling at
a furious pace.
If that song was not a wakeup call to longtime fans, then the
next one,”Hello Hawk”, goes even further in showing off a new
Superchunk sound by adding strings and a horn section along with
their trademark guitar sound. In fact, strings and horns turn up at
the most unexpected times and with great effect throughout the
CD.
This slightly new direction should not scare Superchunk fans
away because the quirky pop of “Cursed Mirror” or the rocking “Good
Dreams” sound like they could have come from any of Superchunk’s
CD’s. And all the songs display the same fascinating lyrics and
off-center melodies that made the band a cult favorite. However,
the experimentation of the some of the song’s arrangements have
made a world of difference, because it helps make each song
standout as a distinct entity while still flowing nicely as a body
of work.
Other highlights include “Low Branches”, a rock song that you
could waltz to, also the multitracked vocals of “Pink Clouds”, the
slow but edgy “Smarter Hearts”, the anger of “June Showers”, and
the catchy riff that starts off “Pulled Muscle”.
The most experimental song is called “Tiny Bombs” which twists
unexpectedly into a few different sections, trying out different
vocal and instrumental arrangments until it culminates into an
extended guitar solo, which is backed up by handclaps, of all
things. This is followed by the closing song, “You Can Count On Me
(In The Worst Way)”, a straightfoward alt-pop ballad reminiscent of
the Jayhawks.
Come Pick Me Up is Superchunk’s most satisfying CD because
it manages to be unpredictable without sacrificing any of their
previous strengths. Kudos to producer Jim O’Rourke for helping this
talented bunch make a CD that fulfilled their potential.