Come Pick Me Up [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track.

Tracks:

So Convinced
Hello Hawk
Cursed Mirror
1000 Pounds
Good Dreams
Low Branches
Pink Clouds
Smarter Hearts
Honey Bee
June Showers
Pulled Muscle
Tiny Bombs
You Can Always Count On Me (In The Worst Way)

Amazon.com

On Come Pick Me Up, Superchunk's signature buzzy, excitable, poppy, Muppet-punk wail has mellowed and developed within a genre that typically crumbles with age. It helps that the North Carolina quartet has always celebrated the simple, Raymond Carver-ish pleasures of life--front porches, cast-iron chairs, spooning one's lover, "the clutter that is everyday." Singer-songwriter and guitarist Mac McCaughan has a firm ability to achieve nonhackneyed sentimentality inside mini-anthems that revolve around the repetition of simple melodies. It's a straightforward formula the band rarely strays from--there are the rocking songs and the mellow ones and both sound cool. Gone are the gerbil wails; Mr. Mac reveals a formidable, understated, whispery singing style throughout the disc. "Good Dreams" is a tightly coiled, guitar-driven rave-up which explodes into sugary melodies wrapped around the image "Hold me all night, give me good dreams." The other winning element on Come Pick Me Up is the classy, urbane production of Jim O'Rourke, who enlists various Chicago all-stars on cello, violin, sax, trumpet, and trombone. Mixed down low, the accompaniment slides unobtrusively into the group's sound. Blisteringly rocking and unassailably tasteful, you can file Superchunk's seventh album in that thin bin marked "punk rockers who've aged gracefully". --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

Two classic songs, otherwise losin' a step........2005-11-14

To me, SUPERCHUNK's discography begins their distinct dropoff with this album. Hello hawk and 1000 pounds are as great as any of their songs. Good reason to make eps with them. But the rest of the album finds them mellowing, in general. The dominating 2 guitar sound gets more nice, less powerful. Like they got older or changed personnel, like one person. No new people. Maybe they didn't wanna keep sounding like they did. Mission accomplished. But at the cost of losing that power, the edge. It's more like calmed down moderate indie rock now. Oh well. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Shows depth and growth.......2003-06-05

This is a really great record that has stood up to a lot of listening. When I first got it over a year ago, it didn't register right away; some of the effects on the first song were kind of cheesey, to be honest, and it was hard for me to get too deep into it. After getting blown away by "Here's to Shutting Up", however, I decided to give it another chance, and was rewarded with a record chock-full of songs that show that the band is growing up and stretching out, just like regular people do. Some folks want them to keep putting out the same old stuff, but really great bands have to go where the music pulls them, and not try to cater to any "constituency". The music is catchy yet subtle, and the lyrics reflect real life. This is one terrific record--thanks, Superchunk!

Superchunk's zenith?.......2003-06-02

How can they possibly do better than this? Great songs, great mix of sounds. It has the feel of an unintended classic. But can they possibly squeeze anything else from the Superchunk musical sponge? Unfortunately, their next album, "Here's To Shutting Up", shows signs of going through the motions,so it should remain their last album, unless they can go out with a bang, not a whimper. "Come Pick Me Up" is the kind of album you listen to from beginning to end while painting, or building something. Most people I know don't know why they like this, they just do.

Catchy mess.......2003-01-15

Re-listening to this album for the first time in a long time I thought I would find something that I had missed previously. Parts of this album are catchy as hell and I love the horn parts played by people I KNOW in Chicago!

I like how they're going in a more avant garde direction with time changes interwoven with pop "Oooh aah" backing vocals. But I just think the production is shoddy. The overall sound is poor and the songs needed more rehearsal or input from Jim O'Rourke. Isn't that what you do when you produce? I'm not anti-Jim, just Pro-Superchunk and want to see them get the best for their dollar.

I think they finally find their voice near the end of the album with the McCartney inspired "Tiny Bombs" and "You Can Always Count on Me (In the Worst Way)".

Amazing........2002-01-15

I didn't give this CD enough credit the day I got it--I gave it a quick listen and put it away to listen to my Wallflowers CDs.

Well, I just placed it back in now, and...this CD is great. Amazing. Most every song has a great upbeat feel, even the ones you'd think wouldn't. The lead singer's (whose name escapes me) voice, at first, sort of scared me away. It was...different. But the more I listen the more I realize just how well it fits. Everything on this album just seems to tie together, and the result is a very musically pleasing experience.