Pop! That's Superdrag. The band's latest offering, released, appropriately enough, on the Arena Rock Recordings Company, is top-notch, "new-rockish" power-pop.
Sounding like what Hüsker Dü might have turned into given a slightly longer major-label lifetime (more Grant Hart-penned tunes and the saccharine songwriting of Bob Mould's Sugar days), Superdrag plays straight-up pop wrapped in blankets of fuzzy distortion.
Superdrag gained notoriety as a result of its buzz-bin single "Sucked Out"--a track found on the band's 1996 debut, Regretfully Yours. Following this initial success, the group disappeared from the pop airwaves in favor of turning out the tunes that it wanted. This philosophy lead to Elektra's canning the group after its 1998 sophomore disc Head Trip in Every Key. Luckily, though, these obstacles have not stopped Superdrag from creating a tasty cut of pop pie with In the Valley of Dying Stars.
On tunes like "Gimme Animosity", Superdrag demonstrates effectively why it is no longer a top-40 force--front man John Davis shouts repeatedly "Gimme reciprocity!" Not surprisingly, radio stations pandering to disaffected youth have been less than willing to program such vocabulary challenging sentiments. Which is really a shame, as Superdrag exhibits quite the potent pop sensibilities.
"Ambulance Driver" is a lazy pop-rock shuffle lamenting an inability to help, while "Unprepared" is a Beatle-esque slice of melancholy. Opener "Keep it Close to Me" is a growling guitar-rock tune deserving, but not desirous, of a stadium ("I want rock'n' roll, but I don't want to deal with the hassle").
Ultimately, this general apathy is what has kept Superdrag making good music. The band has been able to turn away from the lure of promised riches in favor of holding true to its own vision. Ironically enough, this vision is one of pure pop--a vision not at odds in any way with popular success that Elektra obviously deemed impossible.
--Brian Gettler