I like playlists, and I’m not talking about weak-ass “Tunes For When I’m Depressed” lists or “Best Driving Tunes” lists. I’m not interested in multi-artist orgies when I do my lists. Lists are serious business, and I am a serious dude. The only time multiple bands/artists grace the same list is when the artists in question are closely related (for example, Jawbreaker and Jets to Brazil could share a list because their lead singer/songwriter was in both bands).
To me, a playlist should do one of two things:
- Cut out the filler. I can accomplish this by either cutting out the filler on a bloated album or combining the best tracks across several albums.
- Show an artist in a new light. Sometimes, an album or albums are strong in their own right, but like any great “best of” album, a playlist can provide a good point of entry for people who have not heard of a band or have already written them off.
I’ve created hundreds of these lists, and I’ll create hundreds more before Satan finally drags me back to hell. Each month, I’ll be sharing between one and three lists and explaining what makes them worth a listen — especially compared to the source materials I have executed and resurrected into these Frankenstein’s monster of music.
Portastatic – Be Bright (a combination of Be Still Please and Bright Ideas)
For as notoriously consistent as Mac McCaughan is with his main band (Superchunk, for inquiring minds), Portastatic is a curious beast, home to both his highest of highs and lowest of lows. This is probably a result of the comparatively experimental nature of his side project. Big swings from someone who probably isn’t used to the kind of self-editing required when venturing outside one’s comfort zone often lend themselves to all-time great songs, but the opposite is also true. A strikeout looks extra bad with traitorous momentum carrying the misses all the way through.
On the two source albums, the misses aren’t even interesting. That’s part of the problem. Portastatic differentiates itself from Superchunk mostly on the back of an expanded tonal palette that doesn’t rely on the energy that carries most of the main gig’s tunes. The good songs make it based on a combination of hooks and the songs moving in unexpected directions. The band songs are the same as the good songs in this respect, but the hooks don’t hook and the directions are predictable.
I’ve cut out the filler by combining these two albums, focusing mostly on the hits, baby. “Sweetness and Life”, “You Blanks” and “Sour Shores” are the highlights here. “Sour Shores” deserves special recognition for being a perfect power pop song.
This list is a good primer for anyone not sold on the band as it contains some of the best songs Mac has ever written and serves as the best hint of what a mid-2000s Superchunk album may have been if the band hadn’t taken a hiatus during that time. Just imagine all these songs a little more punk, which in this case, also means they’re probably a little less interesting. So maybe the hiatus was a good thing if only for the sake of these absolute killer tunes.
But because the original albums had so much filler, this should also serve as the go-to way to listen to them without judicious use of the skip button.
Greys – Outer Shadow Anything (a combination of If Anything, Outer Heaven, and Warm Shadow)
Sort of on the other end of the spectrum is this bad boy. If Anything isn’t all that great, but the other two albums represented here are. Warm Shadow is a well-crafted album with only a few standout tracks. Outer Heaven is great, and while I prefer Greys’ latest album as a fully realized work, this album has some of my favorite tracks and few duds. In fact, I left one particular fan favorite song off the list due to time restraints and general flow, but I’ve kept seven out of ten albums tracks even still. Heaven bangs.
This list should serve solely as a primer. Let it convert you and then check out the two good albums I mentioned (as well as the absolutely perfect Age Hasn’t Spoiled You, which is a masterpiece). I feel pretty confident most people who listen to this will find at least enough worth to check out the best albums in Greys’ catalog.
Forming within the nexus of their best albums is a confluence of unique perspective, craft and energy rarely seen in punk. This band is like if Liars and Les Savy Fav made music together and fronted their bands with a lyrical savant who exists outside of the typical white junior-frat mold usually dominating this kind of music.
Truly, this playlist should only be the beginning.