superchunk
Superchunk Share Latest Single ‘This Night’ From Wild Loneliness
Indie-rock veterans Superchunk released a new single from their highly anticipated album Wild Loneliness. The record will be released on February 25 on Merge Records. Previously, the band released “Endless Summer,” their first single in support of Wild Loneliness. It has been nearly four years since the band’s previous full-length record was released, titled What a Time to be Alive. The album is available for preorder here. “This Night” features a refreshingly upbeat indie-pop tune coupled with warm guitar tones and sickly sweet romantic lyrics. Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan states that pop bands like Camera Obscura inspired the track. This single was recorded in the band’s homestate of North Carolina during the COVID lockdown alongside the rest of the tracklist. Strings by Owen Pallet and vo...
Superchunk Announce Upcoming Album Wild Loneliness, Share First Single ‘Endless Summer’
Superchunk are back with an announcement of a forthcoming record, Wild Loneliness, and the release of its first single, “Endless Summer.” Wild Loneliness is out on February 25. The album was recorded in the band’s home state of North Carolina during the COVID lockdown, and mixed by Wally Gagel, who also mixed Superchunk’s 1995 Here’s Where the Strings Come In. [embedded content][embedded content] The new track features harmonies of Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley. A limited edition 7-inch “Endless Summer” single on yellow vinyl is available now to order via Merge. Its B-side contains a cover of The Glands’ “When I Laugh” (featuring William Tyler on guitar). “‘Endless Summer’ was written on New Year’s Day 2020 which was unseasonably warm here in North Carolina,” fro...
The Beat of a Different Drummer: 10 Albums Where a New Drummer Put a Spring in the Band’s Step
The drummer is the job in a rock band with the highest turnover rate — a cliché lampooned memorably in This is Spinal Tap. And if it takes a few albums for a group’s definitive lineup to click into place, the drummer is often the final piece of the puzzle to arrive. But it’s often that change behind the drum set that makes a good band great, thanks to the addition of faster, louder, or more complex rhythms. Sometimes a versatile percussionist can even expand the band’s sonic palette and contribute to the songwriting. Here are 10 albums where the arrival of a new drummer marked an important transitional moment in an artist’s catalog. Nirvana – Nevermind (Dave Grohl) [embedded content][embedded content] Nirvana let go of early drummer Chad Channing in 1990 before they had a permanent replace...
The 25 Best Soundtrack Albums of the 1990s
In the 1980s, music and film collided for cross-promotional blockbusters both transcendent (Purple Rain) and transcendently cheesy (Footloose). In the ‘90s, soundtracks continued to sell in the millions, capturing cultural moments like the Seattle grunge of Singles or the Britpop and electronica of Trainspotting. Auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson reached deep into their record collections to set the mood while movies like Above the Rim and Menace II Society pioneered the concept of soundtracks as hip-hop mixtapes. A great soundtrack can propel an unsuccessful single, like Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose,” to the top of the charts, or revive a decades-old hit, like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It can also push a cult singer-songwriter like Elliott Smith or Aimee Mann to an Oscar perf...
Superchunk Covers the Go-Go’s ‘Can’t Stop the World’
Like 90% of independent music venues across the country, North Carolina’s Cat’s Cradle is at risk of shutting its doors for good in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, local artists are banding together to raise money for the club with Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover to Benefit Cat’s Cradle. The 25-track benefit compilation sees Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, Iron & Wine and more notable North Carolinians cover their favorite songs in an effort to save the venue, which has been hosting concerts for 50 years. Today, you can hear Superchunk’s contribution to the album — a cover of the Go-Go’s “Can’t Stop The World” — along with songs from Hiss Golden Messenger and Jonathan Wilson, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, the d...
Superchunk, Iron & Wine and More Cover Favorites to Save North Carolina Venue Cat’s Cradle
With 90% independent venues at risk of shuttering permanently due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Superchunk, the Mountain Goats and Iron & Wine are just some of the North Carolina artists who are trying to save a longtime local spot, Cat’s Cradle, from closing its doors for good. Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover to Benefit Cat’s Cradle is a collection of 25 tracks featuring the groups above along with other North Carolina musicians. “Each act performs a cover version of a favorite song, with many recorded during the pandemic,” the website said. Superchunk covered “Can’t Stop the World” by The Go-Go’s while The Mountain Goats’ put their spin on Paradise Lost’s “The Longest Winter.” Cat’s Cradle, located in Carrboro, North Carolina, has been hosting live shows for 50 years. All...
30 Great Albums From 1990 That Deserve Their Own 30th Anniversary Pieces
Every decade takes a couple of years to feel like itself, but the 1990s, in particular, had a soft launch. While 1991 would bring a bumper crop of era-defining albums from the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, and Red Hot Chili Peppers that would set the tone for alternative rock for the rest of the decade, the music of 1990 often feels like an outgrowth of the previous decades. Even the year’s biggest rock debut that was positioned as a contrast from hair metal was the decidedly retro Black Crowes. Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, which had just been launched in late 1988, was still dominated by established British bands like The Psychedelic Furs and Gene Loves Jezebel. Depeche Mode and Sinead O’Connor became the year’s unlikely crossover stars. Observe the chart in the last week of&nb...
