Mac McCaughan is a busy busy man.
Between leading Superchunk and overseeing the meteoric rise of Merge Records McCaughan has always found time for his side project Portastatic.
Started as an outlet for songs that didn't quite fit the Superchunk mold Portastatic has always served as a vehicle for thoughtful lyrics and lo-fi charm.
With Some Small History McCaughan has essentially cleaned out his closet releasing this collection of 45 rarities covers and previously unreleased material.
The songs run the gamut from sparse bedroom recordings to pristinely produced tracks that easily could have made their way onto a proper release anytime in the last 18 years.
As you would guess over the course of 45 tracks there are both hits and misses. And considering the perilous nature of rarities collections there are more than enough gems to keep anyone engaged.
That is an accomplishment in itself. There are few dull moments and while making it through in one sitting is a tall order probably to be avoided there are more than enough charming moments to keep listeners engaged.
Just as important as the tracks themselves — especially on a collection like this — is their order. The record is not sequenced chronologically rather logically" functioning as a massive mixtape that happens to span an entire career.
""Skinny Glasses Girl"" highlights the soft-spoken sensitivity that sometimes gets lost among the rapid fire guitar of Superchunk.
""Skinny glasses girl" East Texas has not seen you for a while and nor have I" McCaughan sings.
The sheer nature of the release can make it difficult to get through, but when taken at face, the songs are great insights into the changing makeup of a prolific artist and burgeoning musical institution.
Just as interesting as the originals, though, are the choice covers, that allow for reinterpretations of songs by Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan and Hot Chip (seriously). In his own way, McCaughan turns each into his own. By speeding up the pace of Adams' My Sweet Carolina" and stripping back the dance beats from Hot Chip's And I Was A Boy From School" Portastatic is able to draw out the power of the songs.
The highlight of the collection is definitely his take on Bob Dylan's classic It's All Over Now Baby Blue.""
Covering Dylan can be ambitious" but considering McCaughan's output it actually seems appropriate.
Catching up with Portastatic's main man
On the eve of Portastatic's release show the collection Some Small History Mac McCaughan head-man of Portastatic as well as Superchunk and Merge Records responded to a few questions about how he does what he does.
Dive: There are some interesting covers on the new record what process went into choosing them?
MM: Pretty much the process is me listening to certain songs a lot being obsessed with them or maybe even just hearing a song on the radio and thinking how fun it would be to sing that song.
Dive: How do you manage your time? How do you prioritize your incredible amount of responsibilities?
MM: I just try to have a fairly stable schedule. It's not always possible.
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu
