Superchunk – Here’s To Shutting Up
(Merge)

I like it when bands choose fitting titles for albums; it makes the task of choosing an opening line for a review so much easier.Superchunk’s 8th full length release, “Here’s To Shutting Up”, does indeed have an appropriate title, and whether intentional or not, it accurately describes the stripped down sound they have put forth here. From the opening track, “Late Century Dream”, the band we hear on this album definitely shows signs of maturity — which is not to say they aren’t fun anymore. In fact, I quite enjoy this album.

Mac McCaughan has indeed toned down his frantic high-pitched vocals and instead decided to actually sing for the most part, often harmonizing with backing vocals — and quite impressively I might add. The songs are mainly mellow and laidback affairs, with a few rockers such as “Rainy Streets” to keep the blood pumping throughout. They have wrapped up these little pop gems with lush instrumentation, including string arrangements and hypnotic keyboards, and the result is some of catchiest Superchunk material to date. There are a few oddballs on here too, like the country-influenced “Phone Sex”, but it all melds together well into a cohesive collection of songs.

If you were hoping for raw indie rock angst, you won’t find much here, but Superchunk prove that songs with a more relaxed pace can be just as moving as those with frenetic ones. It isn’t your typical Superchunk album, but in this case, that’s a good thing.

Superchunk have been around longer than most bands nowadays, and they still show no signs of losing their great songwriting capabilities. If anything, they are just now hitting their stride, as they continue to progress and move forward. This is a worthwhile album from a hard-working band. — Sean