Superchunk

Superchunk made the same loud punk album over and over until "maturing" a little, which means making the same boring loud punk based but soft album over and over again. I used to think I liked them, which I kind of did, but now I'm tired of them.

see The 6ths

Information: Superchunk
Suggested First Purchase: Incidental Music

Superchunk (1990) -- "Slack Motherfucker" is a classic, but the rest is just a collection of same-sounding regular ol' loud punk rock music. C

Tossing Seeds (1992) -- This is arguably their best album, a singles collection, since it puts together what they're really about, close to the best kind of noisy punk you can make (something to my ear which is simply hard to enjoy, which makes me surprised I like Superchunk at all). "Slack Motherfucker" is their finest moment. C

No Pocky For Kitty (1992) -- A noisy screamy loud electric guitar punk album where you can't much tell one song from the next. "Throwing Things" is one of the standouts, but this might be because of the superior acoustic which appears on an upcoming compilation. C

On the Mouth (1993) -- A slightly better version of more of the same. A few of these songs are more memorable than in the past. C

Foolish (1993) -- This album is much better because it slows down, and sometimes it even hurts with its seriousness instead of just screaming. "Like a Fool" slows things down perfectly, "Driveway to Driveway" is pretty and actually allows us to sing along, "Why Do You Have To Put a Date On Everything?" is another nice one, and the closing "In a Stage Whisper" allows the album to exit the same way it entered. Lots of the other songs, unfortunately, aren't as memorable as those. B

Incidental Music (1995) -- Singles collections work better for Superchunk, and this is my favorite album of theirs. Standouts include "Shallow End," "Cadmium," "Ribbon," "Foolish," "100,000 Fireflies," "Throwing Things (Acoustic Version)," and "Home at Dawn." B

Here's Where the Strings Come In (1995) -- The title of the album suggests that point in a rock band's life when they decide to, say, incorporate strings to change their sound. But that's not what happens here and we end up with something that sounds pretty bland. Going through the motions. D

Indoor Living (1997) -- Here's where the strings come in. I remember saying when I first heard this that I was "proud of Superchunk." There's nothing terribly revolutionary as far as rock music goes, but any change from their previous style is revolutionary for Superchunk. Looking through the track list, you can actually distinguish between the songs, hum them, everything you should be able to do with truly great songs. A long-awaited step for this band. B

Come Pick Me Up (1999) -- Again, it's pretty good for Superchunk, though the Jim O'Rourke production isn't here as brilliant or advancing as most say it is. Songs like "Hello Hawk" and "1,000 Pounds" are good, but I don't think this album is as good as the last one, nor as punkily good as some of the earlier ones. C

Here's to Shutting Up (2001) -- About what you'd expect at this point: decent-enough songs that aren't quite punky and loud anymore, but nothing to go nuts about. C

Cup of Sand (2003) -- Part three of the rarities collections, this one a two disc set. About the usual Superchunk stuff. Okay, that's it. I'm out now. No more Superchunk unless I find some good reason. C