Superchunk On The Mouth CD

Superchunk: Mac McCaughan, Jim Wilbur (vocals, guitar); Laura Ballance (bass); Jon Wurster (drums).
Recorded at West Beach Studios, Hollywood, California from September 14 to 20, 1992.
After pushing the buzzsaw abandon of their earliest records to its logical extreme on the masterful No Pocky for Kitty, Superchunk begins reinventing itself with their third full-length, On the Mouth, a record as invigorating as it is frustrating. Without sacrificing any of the energy or conviction of past efforts, many of the disc's 13 songs harness Mac McCaughan's breathless pop-punk melodies into tighter, more demanding contexts -- highlights, like the singles "Mower" and "The Question Is How Fast," introduce a new arsenal of shifting rhythms and explosively tense dynamics which reveal unexpectedly limitless possibilities within the classic Superchunk approach. The problem is that On the Mouth equates to something less than the sum of its parts -- while tracks like the blistering "From the Curve" and "Package Thief" barrel forth with the sheer recklessness of old, their adherence to the band's past makes for an ill-fitting match alongside the album's more ambitious moments. More problematic, the slow, plodding "Swallow That" -- while an admirable departure from the norm -- is simply tedious. Still, more often than not On the Mouth comes up with the goods, and remains a pivotal turning point in Superchunk's continued evolution. ~ Jason Ankeny
All SPINAL TAP jokes aside, drummers are usually considered to be the most expendable members of rock bands, and the downfall of many bands can be traced to the departure of the original drummer. Fortunately, for Superchunk, the opposite turned out to be true. After the departure of primal-force-of-nature Chuck Garrison and the addition of the only slightly less-hyper Jon Wurster, Superchunk actually increased in dexterity and rhythmic intensity.
ON THE MOUTH puts Wurster's flexibility to good use, as exemplified in songs like "Precision Auto," which races around bends like a drunken Mario Andretti, or the fan-favorite "Package Thief." Slightly less-frenetic songs like "Mower" or "From the Curve" also deliver the goods. In fact, these tracks do it in spades; but at the time of ON THE MOUTH Superchunk's forte was still light-speed anthems such as "New Low"; "Flawless"; or "The Question is How Fast," one of the band's greatest creations. Interestingly, this album and NO POCKY were released on the MATADOR label as opposed to the rest of the Superchunk catalog, which is available on Merge, the independent label owned by Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance.

Re-Issue

Rolling Stone (4/15/93, pp.61-62) - 3 Stars - Good - "...more than adequately captures the band's brittle adolescent thump..."
Spin (4/93, p.100) - "...some of the best, anthemic alternative rock around--noisy guitar wrapped around uplifting, punk-pop melodies....exhilarating..."
Q (3/93, p.92) - 3 Stars - Good - "...aggressive but accessible....Superchunk's reputation has been made on live shows and they've managed to retain that dirty edge here..."
Alternative Press (7/95, p.94) - Rated #70 in AP's list of the `Top 99 Of '85-'95' - "...Superchunk's shining moment...expertly combining the band's early, hi-octane thrash moves with a slower, more mature melodic sound that diluted none of its power...a solid, thirteen-cut burner..."