Superchunk Song Review Project 8: "Cool"

Another one that makes heavy use of the "Superchunk chord" which (I think!) first appeared in "Slack". This is a great freaking song, totally in the Pantheon. It's a d/Q song, mid-tempo, and is way more "indie" rock than most of their earlier songs.

The verse basically is the same three chords played over and over, but they play it in three different ways. They get A LOT of mileage out of these three chords! First there's the part which kicks off the song in which there're two guitars playing two separate non-power chordy bits over top each other, giving it a real laid back feel. The bulk of the singing goes over this part and then it gets loud and they play the same stuff but in power chord form while Mac yells out the song's title a few times. After that it backs WAY off and its just one of the guitars playing the line from the beginning and the drums. GREAT bit of subtraction there, T/l parts being as awesome in their own way as d/Q parts. Then the band kicks in and holds an 8 count before the SUPER POPPY INDIE ROCK CHORUS. This is probably the first of these to appear in a Superchunk song.

Then the song repeats all of this with different words...and the words are totally awesome the second time. "I know its LAME, and it breaks my heart. IT BREAKS MY, IT BREAKS MY HEART!!!" Mac's self-harmonizing on this song is a total masterpiece, its kind of hard to decide which of the vocal lines is the melody and which the counterpoint. So cool. I also think there are REALLY REALLY buried third vocal lines throughout. I feel like I can hear them sometimes, like right at the beginning before the main vox start, and at the end of the second chorus? Am I imagining this? (This song is about having no new ideas when writing songs, which is hilarious given how good Superchunk is at coming up with great new twists in their songwriting!!!)

So, anyway, after the second chorus the song really gets to the part that makes it amazing, the bridge. The bridge is just a great stupid four chord rising riff with one guitar just holding on one note...since it goes up makes it sound really anthemic, hopeful, majestic and the single note lead thing gives it great tension. And the melody! "Its nothing new, its nothing NEW, everything's borrowed, everything's USED!" The song seems neat and fun and good up to the bridge and then this bit just knocks you on your butt. So good. They round the song out with a final stab at the chorus, because, you know, why not?

Song structure: ABABCB.

"WE'RE COOLER THAN YOU!!!! AND YOU KNOW ITS TRUE!!!!"