Commentary

Two veteran bands on the alternative rock circuit recently dropped EPs. Superchunk gave us their first “chunk” of new studio recordings since 2001 with Leaves In the Gutter, and the Breeders followed suit with Fate To Fatal.

Both EPs are charmers. The Breeders’ record seems to be picking up right where last years excellent full-length Mountain Battles left off. Lead track “Fate To Fatal” is pure Breeders bliss, while the remaining three songs find the band taking unusual risks. Most notably on “The Last Time,” which is sung by none other than ex-Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan. Another trademark EP trait makes an appearance here as well – the oddball cover. On this release it’s The Breeders reinvention of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ “Chances Are.”

The Superchunk disc is notable for not only being their first outing in about eight years, but also for being their most rocking effort since 1995’s Here’s Where the Strings Come In “Learned To Surf” kicks it off with pure old-school ‘Chunk bliss – Mac McCaughan’s yelping vocals, crunchy guitars, some clever lead lines courtesy of Jim Wilbur, and Jon Wurster’s powerhouse drumming. Another hookfest, “Misfits and Mistakes,” finally finds a home after popping up on the soundtrack to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force film a couple years ago. After two more straight up rockers, the final track calms things down a bit with an acoustic rendition of the opener.

When indie rock gods like the Breeders and Superchunk toss a pair of cool EPs like this on your lap it makes you wonder why more bands don’t follow suit. Especially utilizing the Breeders’ model by self-releasing it. In this harsh, wintry economic landscape, why not throw four songs together between full-lengths and release them on your own? Give your fans a little taste of what you’ve been working on and, perhaps even more importantly, let them know that you still have been working! This was especially odd for a band like the Breeders who are notorious for taking their time between albums. It’s comforting to see they have some songs stockpiled.

The Superchunk EP seems to have served as a bit of a “housecleaning” release as well as a teaser for a full-length down the road. Lead ‘Chunker McCaughan has stated in interviews that these are songs the band has been kicking around for a couple years, and which he felt should be released before a new album was started. (Yay!!!) It also probably gave the band a nice little new merch item to sell at Coachella. And since this EP was released on Merge, you could always, arguably, say it was “self-released” as well, since Mac and the bass player from Superchunk, Laura Balance, own the label.

But these days hardly anyone is releasing EPs, which is a bummer since they always tend to be fun and consistently interesting releases. They often gave artists an opportunity to take risks that they wouldn’t attempt on a full-length. And since the format falls between the length of a single and an album, those eager to hear more than one or two songs of material would be satisfied.

One legendary EP that showcased a band in transition was The Cost of Living EP by The Clash. Released in 1979, between Give ‘Em Enough Rope and London Calling, the EP showcased the band embracing new musical styles delivered in a grittier tone – more akin to their debut than their polished second album. It was the perfect primer for the colossal London Calling. The EP lead off with what would become their legendary cover of “I Fought The Law,” a song they basically own these days. And although “Groovy Times” and “Gates of the West” really don’t reach the heights of most of the material on London Calling, they do provide a worthy blueprint for proceeding in that direction.

These days the most common sighting for EPs is with up and coming bands who, usually, haven’t got the money to cover studio costs for an entire LP yet. Plus, four or five songs are often easier for virgin ears to digest than 12 to 20. Wouldn’t it be nice if established acts began releasing EPs on a regular basis, though? Nothing beats a superb LP, of course, but sometimes those oddball EPs deliver the most pleasant of surprises.

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