My Top 2000 Songs #1058: Mower

I first fell for Superchunk because of their frenetic, energetic update to old-school punk rock. Hell, "Precision Auto," the opening track on 1993's On The Mouth, feels like a speeding locomotive about the fly off the tracks any second. But "Mower," from the same LP, slows things down to a muddy dirge without losing an ounce of the power. Something about the tune, particularly Mac McCaughan's emotional wail, feels spiritually compelling, a lumbering anthem even if I can't quite make out all the lyrics--the opening line, "Nothing gets in my way today, no one has the power of steel beneath them," feels like a raging call to arms.

And, ok, looking at the lyrics online today, it appears to be about a lawnmower crushing a bird's nest, but whatever; there's massive power in the ambiguity. (Also--this now appears to be the second song on the list told from the perspective of a lawnmower.)

Here's the video (sound not as good as the above clip):

Live 2010:

Acoustic cover by Jason Ross: