Come Pick Me Up (reissue)

Superchunk is foundational for me. The North Carolina four-piece was part of the exciting Chapel Hill scene of the early 1990s (along with Polvo and Archers of Loaf) that brought noise and fun to the burgeoning indie-rock movement, not to mention that Superchunk started Merge Records (home of Neutral Milk Hotel, Arcade Fire, etc.). And the band's hyper-as-shit, melodic and noisy take on pop music became my musical paragon, the blueprint for how I approached playing and listening to music. All that said, this reissue of the band's seventh studio album, 1999's Come Pick Me Up (which includes a few downloadable bonus acoustic and demo versions of the songs), is pretty fantastic with its beefed-up remasters of a collection of big, lively songs that have aged remarkably well. While not my absolute favorite, the album is a great entry point for new listeners, with producer Jim O'Rourke fleshing out the band's noise-pop with horns and extra strings that complement some of the best melodies in Superchunk's catalog. “Hello Hawk,” “Cursed Mirror,” “1,000 Pounds,” “Low Branches” and especially the dynamic and gorgeous “Honey Bee” are all infectious and fun and best enjoyed turned up very, very loud.