On the Mouth

Superchunk: Mac McCaughan, Jim Wilbur (vocals, guitar); Laura Ballance (bass); Jon Wurster (drums).
Recorded at West Beach Studios, Hollywood, California from September 14 to 20, 1992.
All SPINAL TAP jokes aside, drummers are usually considered to be the most expendable members of rock bands, and the downfall of many bands can be traced to the departure of the original drummer. Fortunately, for Superchunk, the opposite turned out to be true. After the departure of primal-force-of-nature Chuck Garrison and the addition of the only slightly less-hyper Jon Wurster, Superchunk actually increased in dexterity and rhythmic intensity.
ON THE MOUTH puts Wurster's flexibility to good use, as exemplified in songs like "Precision Auto," which races around bends like a drunken Mario Andretti, or the fan-favorite "Package Thief." Slightly less-frenetic songs like "Mower" or "From the Curve" also deliver the goods. In fact, these tracks do it in spades; but at the time of ON THE MOUTH Superchunk's forte was still light-speed anthems such as "New Low"; "Flawless"; or "The Question is How Fast," one of the band's greatest creations. Interestingly, this album and NO POCKY were released on the MATADOR label as opposed to the rest of the Superchunk catalog, which is available on Merge, the independent label owned by Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance.