Comments on: Merge To Release Nerd-Exploiting Anniversary Collection

By: thearcanemodel

thearcanemodel — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:01:43 +0000

@Al Shipley: totally, i agree with the larger point.

wow, non-snarky discourse is so refreshing sometimes!

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:48:27 +0000

@thearcanemodel: Nothing against Portastatic at all. In fact I got a little excited when I followed the link to the Merge site from this post and saw that they're releasing a rarities compilation this month. I could have easily said "best-known music," point is he inarguably 'peaked' in one sense or another in the Superchunk years, and would probably be as broke as most other 40-something indie rock lifers if he hadn't happened to do a great job of running a label and helping its bands become more popular than his had ever been.

@DocStrange: I'm saying my ears bleed when the She & Him video comes on MTV Hits, and I watched a little of their set at a festival recently just to kind of confirm that they're shit.

By: DocStrange

DocStrange — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:14:06 +0000

@Al Shipley: wait...are you saying you don't like She & Him?

By: thearcanemodel

thearcanemodel — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:57:47 +0000

@Al Shipley: fair enough, but i beg to differ. it's kind of apples v. oranges, but i think the streak he's been on with portastatic ever since "summer of the shark" but (really, since "bright ideas") more than holds its own next to classic superchunk. and i say this as someone who rates "foolish" is her #1 favorite record ever. and i usually can never come up with #1 favorite anythings (at least when it comes to music).

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:13:18 +0000

Ugh, She & Him. Aside from a couple underrated bands on the roster, the main comfort I take from the continued success of Merge is that Mac gets to live more comfortably than most aging indie guys who made their best music in the 90s.