‘Pocky’ a good indication of Superchunk’s potential

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 9, 2004 | 8:33 a.m.

Listening to Superchunk's second album, "No Pocky For Kitty," you get the feeling the band could have been a major-label smash.

That's if -- and it's a pretty big if -- the Chapel Hill, N.C., quartet actually craved attention.

Instead, Superchunk has spent nearly 15 years operating far below the mainstream radar. Well known to fans of guitar-driven, indie rock, the band has never made a particular effort to significantly expand its audience.

Reportedly, Superchunk has turned down several major-label offers over the years, preferring to do its recording on its in-house label, Chapel Hill's Merge Records.

And that's just fine with longtime listeners. By remaining fiercely independent, the band has total control over its projects. In 2002, for example, Superchunk released a disc of entirely instrumental music, originally composed to back silent movies at the San Francisco Film Festival.

The foursome have eight studio albums, three compilations and dozens of singles and EPs to their credit, not including various solo and side efforts. So tackling the band's catalog can be daunting for newcomers.

The recommendation here for a good starting point is "No Pocky For Kitty," a record that remains vibrant 12 years after its initial release.

Superchunk keeps its energy level at an all-time high over the course of the CD's 12 tracks, a sharp difference from more laid-back, recent efforts.

Three cuts -- "Seed Toss," "Cast Iron" and "Throwing Things" -- are among the band's most celebrated confections. There isn't a bad song in the bunch, however, making "No Pocky" a blissful, 34-minute jaunt well-suited for your car stereo.

The music is catchy, but not in the bubblegum, indie-pop sense of the Apples in Stereo or Belle and Sebastian.

The twin guitars of Jim Wilbur and Mac McCaughan are loud and crunchy, while bassist Laura Ballance and drummer Chuck Garrison (since replaced by Jon Wurtser) back that duo with an appropriately noisy racket.

After a few spins, it's nearly impossible not to sing along with McCaughan's strained, high-pitched vocals and heartfelt lyrics.

"When everything's just right I'll come down off my mountain," he roars during "Tower," one of the album's most buoyant tracks.

Superchunk still hasn't reached that mainstream mountaintop, but everything seems to be just right in their world nonetheless.

Artist: Superchunk.

Title: "No Pocky For Kitty."

Year of release: 1991 (Merge Records).

Tracklisting: "Skip Steps 1 & 3," "Seed Toss," "Cast Iron," "Tower," "Punch Me Harder," "Sprung a Leak," "30 Xtra," "Tie a Rope to the Back of the Bus," "Press," "Sidewalk," "Creek," "Throwing Things."