Wild Loneliness. Superchunk

It is somewhat of a shock to find out that a band can release 11 studio albums, exist for 33 years and own a record label, Merge, without me being aware the band even existed. It becomes somewhat weirder even, that, when I played Wild Loneliness for the first time, it resonated within me immediately. It opens with a song called 'City Of The Dead' which is the kind of indie rock that I love to hear for about 30 years now.

Superchunk formed in 1989 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The four founding members, Mac McCaughan, guitar, voice, Laura Ballance, bass, Jim Wilbur, guitar and Jon Wurster, drums still make up the band, outlasting many marriages. I read that they are the backbone of the Chapel Hill scene. Something I missed as well. You cannot not know what you do not know. Now I know Wild Loneliness there may be a good cause to make up for lost things though.

Throughout Wild Loneliness songs from another band shoot through my head, without making the connection to what band. A male singer, most likely from two to three decades ago. From a band and album I must have liked a lot. The connection I make to Wild Loneliness is most likely so good because of this memory that does not divulge itself to me. At least not just yet. It doesn't matter, as there is so much to enjoy on the album. Superchunk seems to do everything right for me at least.

One week later. The album starts out with strings. It took me a while into 'City Of The Dead' before I started to realise Superchunk is an indie rock band. The strings are as heavy as the ones you find on the heavily arranged The Beatles songs. With the second song and single 'Endless Summer' all doubts can be pushed aside. And this time immediately the name of that one band pops into my head: Nada Surf, what else? Mac McGaughan's voice is more nasal but has the same diction here as Matthew Caws'. Puzzle solved. 'Endless Summer' is that kind of perfect pop song many bands go in search of and seldom reach. Superchunk reached for the prize and caught it.

Writing on McGaughan's voice, I can imagine it has something of an acquired taste for some people. Listening behind it, it is all so good what I hear that the sometimes peculiar sounding voice falls into place and turns into Superchunk's unique sound.

Within the indie rock idiom, Superchunk provides its listeners with several different sounds. When all is said and done, you will find the band delivers a consistent sound. The variations lie in the details. An acoustic guitar being more prominent, horns taking a big part, the already mentioned strings. The diversity is what makes Wild Loneliness come alive and sparkling. Perhaps this is what makes the album so good. Just like Nada Surf's, also around for over a quarter century, latest album Superchunk's newest is so much alive. The only difference being, that I have no comparisons to the latter band's older music.

With Wild Loneliness I have encountered an extremely interesting introduction to Superchunk. It tastes like more, much more.

Wout de Natris