Portastatic
(Merge Records)
If some small history emerges from this two-disc Portastatic compilation, it's the story of a restless spirit, Mac McCaughan of Superchunk fame, whose side band never stayed in any one place long enough to let its sound become a limitation.
Even the songs he chose to cover give no indication of an overriding mission statement, from the country-rock of Ryan Adams' "My Sweet Carolina" to his understated treatment of the Undertones formerly frantic power-pop explosion, "Teenage Kicks." He also tackles Hot Chip, Dylan, Galaxie 500, Sandy Denny and the Strawbs, American Music Club, Prefab Sprout and two Magnetic Fields songs. And his own songs don't exactly make it any easier to pin a label on the Portastatic "sound."
The story starts with "Starter" -- and why not? - a fuzz-guitar-fueled shot of Superchunky indie pop that served as Portastatic's first release (a seven-inch) and may have left fans wondering why he didn't just let Superchunk have at it. There's certainly nothing to suggest the man would even own a Casio - until you get to track two, "Sandals With White Socks." From there, the mood keeps shifting every track or two. There's melancholy drone-rock ("Lousy Penpal," "Make You Up"), plenty of fuzzed-out racket ("Weighted Raft," "Too Trashed To Smoke," "Trajectory"), a reggae-flavored New Wave gem that almost makes you wish Spandau Ballet had covered it ("Gray Robins"), the title track's blend of haunting synths and acoustic guitar (with a melody fit for Squeeze) and a handful of beautiful unplugged ballads, the best of which, "Power Supply," is a living room sofa recording of McCaughan's heartbroken reaction to the stolen election of 2004. "I wasn't looking for a gap in the smothering sky," he sighs. "I wasn't hoping for an answer to your question why. We were looking for a river but there was a river to cry."
Anyone looking for bonus tracks can find 11 more songs on the Merge site, including a fuzz-driven cover of Nick Lowe's "What's So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding."
Standout tracks: "Teenage Kicks," "Power Supply" A. WATT
