Superchunk

十年前，加州大学城悄悄出走了几个年青人，几个年轻的背影消失在熙熙攘攘的人群当中，没人留意他们，但日后他们却成为了这座小城最引以为豪的英雄——Superchunk(超级大块儿头)。
 
如果将Pavement(人行道)比喻成九十年代Indie Rock（独立摇滚）的新教父，那么对于Superchunk最恰如其分的比喻就是九十年代独立摇滚不沉的旗舰，这两支乐队集中体现了独立摇滚的全部精髓——独立、自信、非商业化及超群的摇滚天赋。
 
Superchunk八九年成立于大学城，由Mac McCaughan(主唱兼吉他手)，Laura Ballance(贝司)，Jack Mccook(主音吉他)，Chuck Garrison(鼓手)组成。九零年，Superchunk推出了独立制作的单曲“Slack Mother[内容被过滤，请注意论坛文明]er”，这绝对称得上是九十年代独立摇滚最为重要的事件之一，“Slack Mother[内容被过滤，请注意论坛文明]er”神话般成功的意义，不仅仅在于它获得了“独立摇滚国歌”的美誉，更为重要的是它使独立摇滚乐队获得了空前的荣誉，大唱片公司也开始真正认真地审视这支地下世界的摇滚军团。Superchunk并没有被各种令人垂涎欲滴的待遇所迷惑，尽管大公司丰富规范的商业运作经验和巨大的财力可以使他们更快地获得成功，但这有悖于独立摇滚的精神，他们同时也不愿受人摆布，这一点他们绝对比一些急功近利的乐队要明智。Superchunk坚定的态度在一定程度上阻碍了乐队的发展，但这使他们更加充满斗志，一切为了真正的独立。
 
说起Superchunk就必须要谈谈他们名下的独立唱片公司——Merge。八九年，主唱Mac和贝司laura创建了该公司，当时这只是一个非常不起眼的小公司，十年后的今天，Merge已发展成为了旗下拥有Magnetic Fields(磁性地带)、Seaweed(海藻)、Neutral Milk Hotel(中立牛奶旅馆)、East River Pipe(东部河流管道)等一大批地下乐队的着名独立唱片公司，公司良好的运营及Superchunk出众的领导才能使Superchunk成为了独立摇滚混编舰队当之无愧的旗舰，Mac今天颇为感慨地说：“我们十年中最大的成就就是这家公司，尽管它没有使我们成为爆发户，但是它带给我们成功的喜悦是不能用金钱衡量的，在这里，我们可以尽情享受自由的欢愉，这难道还不够吗？”Merge公司的作品保持了摇滚艺人鲜明的个性，让他们得以尽情地发挥，这是在商业唱片公司几乎是不可想实现的，Merge最大的魅力正是在此。九七年，更加成熟的Superchunk凭借专辑《Indoor Living》(室内生活)向商业排行榜发起挑战，尽管专辑保持了一贯的高水准，但是Superchunk不讨好的尖锐个性决定了它的命运，Mac对此评价说：“我们或许不能像Weezer、Green Day、The Offspring、Everclear那样走出地下取得商业成功，但我们还是向世人证明了我们的生活方式，独立摇滚经过多年的努力也已被作为一种摇滚风格，无论将来如何，至少还有庞大的校园摇滚一族支持我们。”九九年发行的《Come Pick Me Up》(将我带走)证明了Superchunk的实力，专辑在各校园徘行榜稳居前十位，这是一张融入大量管乐的流行朋克风格专辑，它不像Superchunk早先作品那样具有攻击性，但是更加沉重，作品严重两极分化，部分作品毛边十足，强烈的Lo-Fi效果简直就像未被处理过的小样，另一方面，有的作品又非常讲究，编排严谨，Mac独具个性的中性假声也为这张专辑添色不少，这的确是一张异常出色的专辑，近年来独立摇滚最漂亮的一次出击。
 
Superchunk存在的意义已远远超出了单一的音乐范畴，他们更代表了一种坚定的生活方式，一种理想。一切为了真正的自由与独立，Superchunk——独立摇滚不沉的旗舰!
 
 
Perhaps no band was more emblematic of the true spirit of American indie rock during the 1990s than Superchunk, the pride of Chapel Hill, NC. Following the D.I.Y. ethic to the letter, the group operated solely by their own rules, ignoring all passing trends by sticking to their trademark sound — typified by the buzzing guitars and high, impassioned vocals of frontman Mac McCaughan — and rejecting all major-label advances in favor of the unlimited freedom afforded by owning their own company, the highly successful Merge Records. Although Superchunks resistance to the overtures of the music industry may have deprived them of the wider audience their work clearly deserved, perhaps their greatest legacy remains their unwavering dedication to the indie tradition, a model which all up-and-coming bands should strive to emulate.
 
Superchunk was formed in the college town of Chapel Hill in 1989 by singer/guitarist McCaughan, bassist Laura Ballance, drummer Chuck Garrison, and guitarist Jack McCook. Initially dubbed merely Chunk — the Super prefix was later added to avoid confusion with a similarly named New York City avant-jazz band — the groups debut single, What Do I, was soon issued on Merge, a label jointly run by McCaughan and Ballance. The follow-up was 1990s epochal Slack Motherfucker, MacCaughans blistering tirade against a lazy Kinkos co-worker; the single was immediately hailed on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the definitive indie anthems of the era; and with the subsequent release of their self-titled debut LP, Superchunk was widely celebrated among the most promising young bands in America.
 
As the success of acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam made their hometown of Seattle the early-90s music scene du jour, label heads scrambled to locate the next alternative rock hotbed; Chapel Hill became the consensus choice, and Superchunk was tapped as the Next Big Thing. The quartet — which had subsequently exchanged McCook for guitarist Jim Wilbur — soon found themselves in the middle of a major-label bidding war, but they defiantly stuck to their guns, remaining on Merge for their brilliant 1991 sophomore effort No Pocky for Kitty, recorded by Steve Albini and distributed by Matador. A singles collection, Tossing Seeds, followed in 1992, and a year later Superchunk — now with new drummer Jon Wurster — returned with the superb On the Mouth, highlighted by the singles Mower and The Question Is How Fast.
 
In addition to Superchunks relentless tour itinerary and prolific recording schedule, McCaughan released the 1994 LP I Hope Your Heart Is Not Brittle, the first full-length release from his side project Portastatic. Even as media attention shifted elsewhere, Superchunk forged ahead, following the release of 1994s Foolish with Incidental Music, a second compilation of singles, B-sides, compilation tracks, and other assorted offerings. 1995s Heres Where the Strings Come In heralded a subtle refinement of their core sound, and was supported by a tour on the second stage at that summers Lollapalooza festival; the first single and video, the surging Hyper Enough, was even a minor hit. A brief hiatus preceded the release of the 1996 EP The Laughter Guns; the full-length Indoor Living appeared the next year, and Superchunk returned again in 1999 with Come Pick Me Up. Ten years on, Superchunk remained as prolific as ever with thier eighth full length, Come Pick Me Up, arriving in 2001. Their third collection of singles, a two CD set titled Cup of Sand, followed in 2003.