Superchunk - Here's Where the Strings Come In
By
Jesse E. Mullen
You’ve run a record label out of your parent’s house. You’ve played in bands of note in the triangle of North Carolina. You’ve dated your bandmate and label co-owner, broken up (romantically), and made an album about the experience.
So was the story of Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance and their pet projects Merge Records and Superchunk in 1995. Superchunk recorded a raw, emotional masterpiece in Foolish the previous year. They had always received critical acclaim, but that record took them to new heights artistically.
Their audience was certainly clamoring for more, but the question remained – could they break out beyond their devoted cult? “Hyper Enough” answers that pretty quickly, crashing out of the gate as track one, and delivering Superchunk a bona fide college rock hit.
McCaughan had been doing home recordings on his four-track recorder under the alias Portastatic. Their sound bled over to Superchunk and had an effect on McCaughan’s writing as a whole. This is immediately apparent on “Silver Leaf and Snowy Tears.”
With a danceable drum beat and New Order-esque guitar leads, the song is instantly lovable. McCaughan is now content to let the melodies shine on their own instead of shouting over them. Which isn’t to say he’s content writing slow songs.
“Iron On” displays vestiges of the old Superchunk, but with more refined guitars and vocals. McCaughan waxes nostalgic about an old relationship and his younger days. He sings about driving a girl home in the rain and it’s easy to wonder if he’s singing about Ballance.
The guitars crunch and chug along in a major key, and it’s a joy to hear McCaughan and Jim Wilbur cut loose. Years of touring and recording has only sharpened their attack. Jon Wurster’s drums crash like thunder, and makes the listeners feel like his kit is next to them.
Second single “Detroit Has A Skyline” didn’t have the radio success of “Hyper Enough,” but it did succeed in becoming a crowd favorite at shows. Relationship woes are again the soup du jour, with McCaughan lamenting an unrequited crush. The fiery deliver is perfect for pogoing in the concert setting.
Bands either evolve or die out. For some, that can spell the end of their winning streak. Others flourish within the confines of their genre while making small changes. Superchunk fall into the latter category. Their earliest albums will always hold a place in fans’ hearts, but it’s Here’s Where The Strings Come In where Superchunk truly blossom.
Merge/1995
