{"title":"Portastatic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e began as a solo project for Mac McCaughan, lead singer and guitarist of Superchunk. Since then, it has evolved into a full-fledged band, which sometimes includes Superchunk guitarist Jim Wilbur and McCaughan’s brother Matthew.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"portastatic-looking-for-leonard","title":"Portastatic - Looking for Leonard","description":"\u003cp\u003eMac McCaughan expands his musical vocabulary further with the fourth \u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e full length, \"Looking For Leonard,\" a complete film score for the Canadian indie-film of the same name. As befits a score, and serving as a bit of a departure for Portastatic, \u003cem\u003eLooking for Leonard\u003c\/em\u003e consists entirely of instrumental compositions, capturing a wide array of moods and atmospheres, establishing McCaughan not only as a gifted pop-songwriter but a budding composer of considerable skill as well.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739155558711,"sku":"MRG190digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/45c3002518ca4c876429fb9ced0e083d7ae0740e_0d3f2052ab8319400817bb2c381c2ec6b95f5f7e_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785379965"},{"product_id":"portastatic-who-loves-the-sun","title":"Portastatic - Who Loves the Sun","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis marks Mac McCaughan's second foray (following 2001's \u003ci\u003eLooking For Leonard\u003c\/i\u003e) into soundtrack work in the guise of his musical alter ego, \u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e. Inspired by film music from composers such as Henry Mancini, Ry Cooder, Francis Lai, and Piero Umiliani, Portastatic's score is a beautiful musical interpretation of the themes of the people we love and how much we hate them, sex, and the ensuing tensions that can arise within the confines of friendship and the extended family. In addition to Mac's traditional guitar-based songs, he incorporates strings, oboe, flute, and piano to propel the infectious melodies. Fans of Bell Orchestre, Rachel's, and Calexico will enjoy this score. The film stars Lukas Haas and Molly Parker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739162603831,"sku":"MRG277digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/d35ed35f4f07bb8ee4c4433bbe7e3e514926b06f_e9a3a6856e63403cd2e48146b9442af4481d92cf_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380150"},{"product_id":"portastatic-autumn-was-a-lark","title":"Portastatic - Autumn Was a Lark","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAutumn Was A Lark\u003c\/em\u003e emerged from some post-tour recording sessions in the spring of 2003 at Pox Studios in Durham, NC, and what was initially meant to be an EP quickly morphed into a full-length. Things kick off with a brand new song, \"Autumn Got Dark,\" perhaps one of the most rocking \u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e tracks ever recorded. Three covers that were featured prominently in the live show this past spring follow: Badfinger's \"Baby Blue\"; Bruce Springsteen's \"Growin' Up\" and Ronnie Lane's \"One For The Road.\" Up next is a full band version of \"In The Lines,\" which appeared in acoustic form on \u003cem\u003eThe Summer Of The Shark\u003c\/em\u003e. The release is rounded out by a slew of Portastatic material, old and new, that was recorded at various live, on-air radio sessions during the spring tour. These feature Mac McCaughan solo on guitar and piano.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739163226423,"sku":"MRG236digital","price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/307ad181ae0cba879d44c8254b66b54654828cfc_c8d38dff832aa21e38a653967883dc2fb80df217_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380167"},{"product_id":"portastatic-some-small-history","title":"Portastatic - Some Small History","description":"\u003cp\u003eA double-disc of rarities, collecting B-sides, compilation tracks, EPs, fanzine vinyl, and previously unreleased material recorded between 1990 and 2007.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"2-CD","offer_id":52739167617335,"sku":"MRG333cd","price":15.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739167584567,"sku":"MRG333digital","price":9.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/b454b0e4410458372b752aec1cc6a91fe3f78d54_b197752605db5f360360a6edb29355fae0f72a25_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380321"},{"product_id":"portastatic-scrapbook","title":"Portastatic - Scrapbook","description":"\u003cp\u003eStellar EP featuring \"St. Elmo's Fire,\" a Brian Eno cover with backing vocals from Yo La Tengo's Ira \u0026amp; Georgia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739168928055,"sku":"MRG080digital","price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/0824735a225681a4575931b588fbab2eb5f45d09_7feb5db25a125983483c9e1765e776185082d89d_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380370"},{"product_id":"portastatic-de-mel-de-melao","title":"Portastatic - De Mel, De Melão","description":"\u003cp\u003eFive songs by Brazilian singers and songwriters of the late '60s \/ early '70s Tropicalia and Música Popular Brasileira movements of that large South American nation visited a couple years prior by Mac's other band, Superchunk. Artists interpreted include Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Joyce and Caetano Veloso.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739170304311,"sku":"MRG180cd","price":9.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739170271543,"sku":"MRG180digital","price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/2a67c7397b22befe4ebe2db32a12ced52930053d_b26be0f0055855381769f24310c53598d29bd5ce_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380409"},{"product_id":"portastatic-be-still-please","title":"Portastatic - Be Still Please","description":"\u003cp\u003ePortastatic's second release of 2006 and ninth full-length sounds as fresh as ever. Analytically angry, melding darker imagery with indignation, Mac McCaughan also musters the wherewithal to remain hopeful. \u003ci\u003eBe Still Please\u003c\/i\u003e continues the full-on rock band sound of 2005's \u003ci\u003eBright Ideas\u003c\/i\u003e but with more of an emphasis on the orchestration featured in McCaughan's recent soundtrack work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739172466999,"sku":"MRG283cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739172434231,"sku":"MRG283digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/2dbb53989bebcdd0a7aa99a602f63d8b57a25229_90bc177a64579b5ce6713f9ae7a055755fe22730_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380486"},{"product_id":"portastatic-sour-shores","title":"Portastatic - Sour Shores","description":"\u003cp\u003eA precursor to \u003ci\u003eBe Still Please, \u003c\/i\u003ethe \u003cem\u003eSour Shores\u003c\/em\u003e EP includes\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e a demo acoustic version of \"Sour Shores,\" \"And I Was a Boy From School\"—a Hot Chip cover—and \"Portraits From Before the War\".\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eEverything is performed by Mac except:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eon \"Sour Shores\" - drums: Lee waters, violin: Margaret White\u003cbr\u003eon \"Portraits From Before the War\" - drums: Matt McCaughan, bass: Jim Wilbur, piano: Jason Borger\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739172663607,"sku":"MRG293digital","price":3.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/d619307741cf510d91d24e829aad9df28476762a_0a97c1a56ea60bf425c40a5e30ca29e7c9f7fb2b_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380492"},{"product_id":"portastatic-bright-ideas","title":"Portastatic - Bright Ideas","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe time is long past when one could consider \u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e a lo-fi side project. With \u003ci\u003eBright Ideas\u003c\/i\u003e, their first full-on studio recording, Mac McCaughan, Matthew McCaughan (drums) and Jim Wilbur (bass) unleash an album brimming with confidence and verve. Recorded at Tiny Telephone and engineered by American Music Club's Tim Mooney, \u003ci\u003eBright Ideas\u003c\/i\u003e is a rollicking, tuneful guitar-rock record made for driving fast with the windows down.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739172827447,"sku":"MRG263digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/37a2c16bd55b783ec701fc983779c98f0ef9af6a_f634134b54c4052ceb82fc560323685283cedde3_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380499"},{"product_id":"portastatic-the-perfect-little-door","title":"Portastatic - The Perfect Little Door","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago during the Noise Pop Festival in the Spring of 2001, \u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Little Door\u003c\/i\u003e is a collaboration between Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Portastatic, etc) and Ken Vandermark (reed player extraordinaire) plus Tim Mulvenna (multi-faceted percussion). This collection brings you five songs from that session: one entirely new song “Hey Salty”, a reworking of one of Ken's compositions “Late Night Wait Around”, and reworkings of three previously released Portastatic songs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739172991287,"sku":"MRG210cd","price":10.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739173024055,"sku":"MRG210digital","price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/462311c01a65f0b143ee40298a1d21cc50dcf3f6_1aa1edea1f273d33179ab259e560bc272672f811_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380508"},{"product_id":"portastatic-the-nature-of-sap","title":"Portastatic - The Nature of Sap","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nature of Sap\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis Mac McCaughan's third outing as \u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e. The album emphasizes a broader instrumental lineup, especially synthesizers, and background atmosphere more than the Portastatic output up to that time. \u003ci\u003eSap\u003c\/i\u003e benefits from the help of Lambchop's Jonathan Marx on clarinet and Matthew McCaughan on drums.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739173056823,"sku":"MRG120digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/3f18c6a109bb6017ad1cd94b8e26649993703a4c_7753d164d9bdc9844c4249f634dfe7139eaab282_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380511"},{"product_id":"portastatic-i-hope-your-heart-is-not-brittle","title":"Portastatic - I Hope Your Heart Is Not Brittle","description":"\u003cdiv id=\"item_description\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eI Hope Your Heart Is Not Brittle\u003c\/i\u003e is Portastatic's debut from '94 and showcases the dynamic range of both rocking songs and quiet numbers, setting the stage for many future great Portastatic records. Mac McCaughan gets help here from members of Erectus Monotone and Polvo.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739173187895,"sku":"MRG051digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/7b697c157242d575d7f40fd703f210a8818e0174_f0e383fd33fa7d26b7d560aebc258003503e282b_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380517"},{"product_id":"portastatic-slow-note-from-a-sinking-ship","title":"Portastatic - Slow Note From a Sinking Ship","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSlow Note From a Sinking Ship\u003c\/i\u003e shows one of Mac McCaughan's first experiments with synths, resulting in the low(er)-fi output of songs such as \"Skinny Glasses Girl\" and \"A Cunning Latch.\" But rest assured, the requisite rockers are here in the form of \"San Andreas\" (still a \u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/strong\u003e live favorite) and \"Taking You With Me.\" \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739182788919,"sku":"MRG086digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/338bfd6b273141d8c69c2554f5c01e11807062c7_b729baf5604b9fc040fb47640eb715174538f7c6_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380775"},{"product_id":"portastatic-some-small-things-you-can-t-defend","title":"Portastatic - Some Small Things You Can't Defend","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eSome Small Things You Can't Defend\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a collection of acoustic demos of songs from the \u003ci\u003eBe Still Please\u003c\/i\u003e album, plus a couple covers and songs that didn't make the album, or just weren't written in time. All recorded at home or at Room 8 (a small office over a great bar) in Carrboro, except \"Boy From School\" recorded at Pox Studios. Mac played everything, mastered by Zeno Gill at Pox.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTrack listing:\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1. Sweetness and Light\u003cbr\u003e2. Sour Shores\u003cbr\u003e3. And I Was A Boy From School\u003cbr\u003e4. Getting Saved\u003cbr\u003e5. You Blanks\u003cbr\u003e6. Black Buttons\u003cbr\u003e7. Hang Down Your Head\u003cbr\u003e8. Don't Make Me Useless\u003cbr\u003e9. I'm In Love (with Arthur Dove)\u003cbr\u003e10. Cheers and Applause\u003cbr\u003e11. The Only Other Chord\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739185049911,"sku":"TIC002cd","price":10.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/f68fcd6e3da40b4cd7a15f11239fe0f180e9fe8b_31662cde8bfba0f727ae812e5f21908f52c3e3ca_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380845"},{"product_id":"portastatic-make-it-sound-in-tune","title":"Portastatic - Make It Sound In Tune","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"The idea for a whole EP of Merge covers stemmed from both listening to the SCORE! Merge covers compilation and from doing bookstore events to promote the \u003cem\u003eOur Noise\u003c\/em\u003e book, wherein we'd play some acoustic covers of songs that came out on Merge. Time permitting, this really could have been a much longer record, but in the spirit of quitting while I was ahead and also turning this in before the end of the year, I stopped at seven songs. Obviously, the Merge catalog is full of hundreds-thousands, actually-of songs I love, so I picked ones I either knew well or thought I could re-create without defiling too harshly. It wasn't easy to narrow down, so I just tried not to think about it too much, and then time constraints set in...\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e -Mac McCaughan\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIndividual track purchase not available for this release, available exclusively through the Merge Store. All proceeds go to the SCORE! charities.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739185115447,"sku":"MRG383DA","price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/c1173a95610ae4dd73feaafeb9c0b3cf59b34e95_83dab768c234b27d91a96730753c5212d8fe2edc_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380851"},{"product_id":"portastatic-the-summer-of-the-shark-reissue","title":"Portastatic - The Summer of the Shark (Reissue)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic’s \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of the Shark \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eis now available for the first time on vinyl as part of a monthly series of reissues to mark the 25th anniversary of Merge Records.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMac McCaughan, co-founder of Merge Records and frontman of the band \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/superchunk\"\u003eSuperchunk\u003c\/a\u003e, began recording solo albums under the name Portastatic in the early ’90’s. Beginning with this album, Portastatic evolved from a lo-fi side project to become McCaughan’s main focus throughout Superchunk’s long hiatus in the early ’00s.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMcCaughan wrote the songs on \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of the Shark \u003c\/em\u003ein 2001 while Superchunk was on tour in support of \u003ca href=\"\/product\/here_s_to_shutting_up\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHere’s to Shutting Up\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, which was released mere days after the September 11 attacks and would be the band’s last studio album for nine years. The resulting batch of songs was the last Portastatic album recorded almost entirely at home; it was also the most emotionally resonant and musically compact collection to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eUpon the album’s release, then Chicago Tribune reporter John Cook wrote of the album: “It is the most effective and moving musical answer yet to what has happened to us over the last two years. Faced with an enormous catastrophe, McCaughan elected to make a small record. There are no heroes rushing up stairwells and no dissections of good and evil—only scared, confused people and local heartbreaks.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded at McCaughan’s home studio in Chapel Hill, \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of the Shark \u003c\/em\u003eincludes contributions from Janet Weiss (Wild Flag, Quasi, Sleater-Kinney), Tony Crow (Lambchop), Margaret White (Versus, Matt Pond PA), Matthew McCaughan (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger), Aaron Oliva, and John Plymale. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003eLP is pressed on white vinyl, and includes a coupon for a full download.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739189604663,"sku":"MRG225cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739189539127,"sku":"MRG225digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/7a8c4156156e3609d863970655f3bdd53c899d19_bc33efb5c448055a9b8db4349f3b199732af30cc_medium_jpg_54098b2d-73b1-4b24-9499-f9f5314eafd9.jpg?v=1789600347"}],"url":"https:\/\/mergerecords.com\/collections\/portastatic.oembed","provider":"Merge Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}