Cup of Sand
Compilation album by
Superchunk
Released2003
RecordedVarious
GenreIndie rock
LabelMerge Records[1]
ProducerVarious
Superchunk chronology
The Clambakes Series Vol. 2
(2002)		 Cup of Sand
(2003)		 The Clambakes Series Vol. 3
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Pitchfork Media(8.4/10)[3]

Cup of Sand is a two-CD collection of singles, B-sides and various rarities (including an Adam Ant cover and a David Bowie cover) released by Superchunk in 2003.[4][5] The accompanying booklet is particularly meaty, as band members Mac McCaughan, Jim Wilbur, Laura Ballance and Jon Wurster weigh in with what they remember (or don't remember) about the songs.

Background

"Her Royal Fisticuffs" is the band's attempt at emulating the Mice.[6] "The Mine Has Been Returned To Its Original Owner" features McCaughan on organ and a "Breadwinner-inspired" bassline by Ballance.[7] According to McCaughan, the song is "a fiction involving a gardener, illegitimate children, and some sort of gothic family murder mystery".[7]

"Dance Lessons", "Basement Life", and "Still Feed Myself" were recorded during the Foolish sessions at Pachyderm Studios.[8][9][10] "Still Feed Myself" is, in McCaughan's words, an "anti-music biz invective".[10]

"Fader Rules" and "Never Too Young to Smoke" are outtakes from the Here's Where the Strings Come In sessions.[11][12] The opening chords of "Fader Rules" were taken from Here Comes My Girl, while the drum pattern was "completely lifted" from the Afghan Whigs song Miles Iz Ded.[11]

"Does Your Hometown Care?" was on the soundtrack to the 1996 film SubUrbia. McCaughan describes the song as "our best Versus rip-off ever".[13]

"The Length of Las Ramblas" features Ballance on the Moog synthesizer.[14]

"Freaks in Charge" was written shortly before the 2004 United States presidential election, and is about "raising kids in a world run by monsters".[15]

The cover of "Blending In" by Government Issue was recorded during the On the Mouth sessions and features Wilbur on lead vocals.[16] Wurster describes it as "a tribute of sorts to our hardcore roots".[16]

Track listing

Disc one

  1. "The Majestic"
  2. "Reg"
  3. "Her Royal Fisticuffs"
  4. "The Mine Has Been Returned To Its Original Owner"
  5. "A Small Definition"
  6. "Dance Lessons"
  7. "Basement Life"
  8. "Still Feed Myself"
  9. "Fader Rules"
  10. "Never Too Young To Smoke"
  11. "Detroit Has A Skyline (acoustic)"
  12. "Does Your Hometown Care?"

Disc two

  1. "Beat My Guest"
  2. "With Bells On"
  3. "Clover"
  4. "Sexy Ankles"
  5. "White Noise"
  6. "Thin Air"
  7. "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)"
  8. "1,000 Pounds (duck kee style)"
  9. "The Length Of Las Ramblas"
  10. "Becoming A Speck"
  11. "The Hot Break"
  12. "A Collection Of Accounts"
  13. "Blending In" (Government Issue cover)[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Superchunk - Cup of Sand (Reissue)". www.mergerecords.com.
  2. ↑ "Cup of Sand - Superchunk | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ "Superchunk: Cup of Sand". Pitchfork.
  4. ↑ "Superchunk A Cup of Sand". exclaim.ca.
  5. ↑ "Superchunk: Cup of Sand". PopMatters. September 11, 2003.
  6. ↑ Wurster, Jon; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Her Royal Fisticuffs". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. Mac: We covered a song by the Mice around this time, and this song is attempting a Mice-like hyper pop situation. Long live the Mice!
  7. 1 2 Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "The Mine Has Been Returned to Its Original Owner". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. Mac: You try writing a song with organ as the lead instrument when you've only ever played guitar. Now try writing it on top of Laura's bizarro Breadwinner-inspired bass line. It's a fiction involving a gardener, illegitimate children, and some sort of gothic family murder mystery, I can't really explain it myself.
  8. ↑ Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Dance Lessons". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  9. ↑ Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Basement Life". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Still Feed Myself". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Fader Rules". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. The drum pattern is completely lifted from Steve Earle's performance on The Afghan Whigs' 'Miles Is Dead' (sic). Tom Petty has yet to contact us regarding the 'Here Comes My Girl' chord.
  12. ↑ Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Never Too Young to Smoke". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  13. ↑ Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Does Your Hometown Care?". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. Mac: Recorded with John Plymale for the Suburbia soundtrack; never saw the movie, but I used the script for the basis of the lyrics, though being in a band in a small town provides similar material. Our best Versus rip-off ever.
  14. ↑ Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "The Length of Las Ramblas". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. Laura: I like playing the Moog but it gives me the sweats! She is an unpredictable beast.
  15. ↑ Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Mac. "Freaks in Charge". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. Mac: A song about raising kids in a world run by monsters.
  16. 1 2 Wurster, Jon; Wilbur, Jim; McCaughan, Mac; Ballance, Laura. "Blending In". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023. Jon: A tribute of sorts to our hardcore roots. This one was originally recorded back in 1984 by the great DC band Government Issue. Our version was recorded during the On The Mouth sessions and marks the first ever Chunk vocal performance by Jim Wilbur.
  17. ↑ Heaton, Dave (September 11, 2003). "SUPERCHUNK: CUP OF SAND". Pop Matters. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.


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