Superchunk: Press

Seattle Times '94
by Phil West

Superchunk has the innate ability to place a perfect vocal hook into any song. In the past, they focused on roaring, high-velocity pop songs, with only an occasional slow-burning ballad, almost functioning as a place in the album to stop and breathe.

But Superchunk, headlining at Moe's tonight, has slid gently toward more slow, smoldering material. And on their latest album, they start soft where they usually started with a sonic salvo. Their latest album, "Foolish," opens with "Like A Fool," which takes a gentle, lulling guitar line and weaves it into a long, building ascension of tension and energy. It sets the tone for a more mature, if not sedate, listen than their previous albums did. "The songs were definitely moving in a different direction on the last album," singer and guitarist Mac McCaughan said last week from Tucson, Ariz., where the band was touring.

"We never decided we were going to do anything different. These are just the songs that we happened to write. "It was just something we did to keep ourselves interested. There are certain bands I like, like the Ramones, that stay one-dimensional. But I like ranges in bands' material, as long as it's not incongruous." The band hasn't abandoned past material in its live show; on this tour, the group is selecting from about 50 songs, including some early ones that had been put on hold. "We got sick of some of them, but now that it's been a while, we're interested in them again," McCaughan said. The explosiveness of their material is especially evident live. Their twin-guitar buzz is best at loud volumes, and they jump around with alarming energy.

Superchunk's energy and knack for writing pop songs appealed to major labels as early as 1992, when independent label Matador released the band's "No Pocky For Kitty." But instead of jumping Matador for a major, they returned to Merge, the label that McCaughan and Superchunk bassist Laura Ballance run out of Chapel Hill, N.C., their hometown. "The split with Matador was amicable," McCaughan said. "Basically, the contract with them was up, and we figured we could do what we wanted. To some, it appears to be a step back. There's this perception we're getting smaller. But all it really does is gives us more control." The move also puts them in more of a position to put Merge's bands in the spotlight. Polvo, a Chapel Hill band on Merge, joined the tour in Tucson and will play in Seattle. Polvo's new EP, "Celebrate the New Dark Ages," shows a more refined version of the band's sharp, ringing, dissonant style.