203. Mac McCaughan Discusses New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies

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On this episode, Superchunk frontman and Merge Records co-founder Mac McCaughan talks to Al about New Order’s 1983 album Power, Corruption & Lies. Mac discusses why he decided to buy Power, Corruption & Lies not long after it was released, even though he was largey unfamiliar with New Order’s music, and why the album has been a favorite of his for more than 40 years. He also talks about what he likes about New Order more generally and how he feels about the band’s discography as a whole. Mac explains how the theme for Superchunk’s new album, Songs in the Key of Yikes, came together, and he also alerts us to some other recent and upcoming releases on Merge Records.

There’s a lot to keep up with for Mac, Superchunk and Merge Records, and here’s where you can best find out what’s happening.

Mac on Instagram: @macsuperchunk

Superchunk website: https://superchunk.com/

Merge Records on Instagram: @mergerecords

Merge website: https://www.mergerecords.com/

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1:19 Mac joins the show

1:30 Mac highlights the aspects of Power, Corruption & Lies that appealed to him when he first listened to it

7:23 New Order employs patience in their songwriting and arrangements

9:05 Mac appreciates the human elements of Power, Corruption & Lies

12:44 Mac explains how New Order created emotion differently from other bands from the ‘80s

16:20 Mac mentions a few of the songs on the album that kept him coming back to it

18:14 Mac thinks the mid-‘80s were as an especially good period for New Order

20:38 Mac admires New Order’s arrangements

23:08 Has Superchunk’s guitar sound been influenced by New Order?

26:36 What does Mac think about New Order’s discography as a whole?

29:49 New Order made great music, even when partying was a big priority for them

31:19 Mac is impressed by the success that New Order had despite the lack of a gimmick

36:40 Mac explains how Superchunk came up with the title for their new album

39:59 Mac talks about the artwork for Songs in the Key of Yikes

40:58 Mac talks about the addition of Laura King to Superchunk

42:02 Mac mentions some recent and upcoming releases on Merge Records

Outro music is from “Care Less” by Superchunk.

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