I think it’s safe to say that I have lost all faith in Superdrag. Although I was
never a huge fan in the first place, I thoroughly enjoyed Regretfully Yours
(1996), an album in many ways like Weezer’s eponymous debut-- pure melodic
pop with a creative twist. It was always second in command to the Blue Album,
but boy did it satisfy my sweet tooth: fun, energetic, and overflowing with
personality.
Then came Headtrip In Every Key in 1998. This album exhibited the band at
its most daring disposition, a descent affair that was sadly plagued with an
overproduced sound, rendering the album excessively squeaky clean. But it was by
no means a slump; if anything, it showed the band with a bright and
unpredictable future—not to mention the handfuls of great songs. Soon, In the
Valley of Dying Stars (2000) reared its head, a darker album that was as
much a surprise as it was a sub par album.
Coincidentally, all this history talk of Superdrag leads us seamlessly into the
band’s latest conception, Last Call for Vitriol. I wish I could say that
it shows the band at its best and at its worse; unfortunately, it really only
displays their worst. Sure, “So Insincere,” “Feeling Like I Do,” Safe & Warm,”
and “Extra-Sensory” are typical Superdrag outings, but there is nothing really
exciting about them at all. And what’s worse is these songs are the album’s
strongest moments.
The rest of the songs on Last Call for Vitriol are not just bad, but they
are really bad. And I wish I could go easy on a band that helped cater to my
sugar cravings back in the day, but alas, Superdrag’s creative toilet has
flushed for the last time about four years ago. When I first listened to the
album, I was convinced “I Can’t Wait” was their worst song they ever wrote,
followed closely by the subsequent song, “The Staggering Genius.” But it wasn’t
until the very end of the album when “Drag Me Closer to You” broke new ground
for shit. It’s the perfect sonic representation of all that can go wrong when
you stagnate through an already dwindling career.
The whole ordeal is pretty sad really, and it’s not like I’m proud to be the
bearer of such disappointing news, but let’s face it: Superdrag’s time is over.
For the few of you who actually care, we can always go back to Regretfully
Yours and remember such teenage anthems as “Cynicality,” “Whitey’s Theme,”
and “Slot Machine.” Because for that transient moment, the sub par pop song was
perfected, a feat not often easily executed within the pop world. So if
anything, we owe it to Superdrag to remember them as they use to be, and not
their present incarnation.
1. Baby Goes to 11
2. I Can't Wait
3. The Staggering Genius
4. So Insincere
5. Extra-Sensory
6. Feeling Like I Do
7. Way Down Here Without You
8. Safe and Warm
9. Remain Yer Strange
10. Her Melancholy Tune
11. Stu
12. Drag Me Closer to You
More about: Superdrag
