In the musical family headed by Mac McCaughan, Portastatic, the youngest child, turns 13 this year. Merge Records, the label that Mac started with Superchunk band mate Laura Ballance in 1989, turns 17, as does Superchunk, the band that made McCaughan one of the need-to-know names in music. But, for some, age is only a statistic: Here, on Be Still Please, the band’s second release of 2006 and the ninth Portastatic full-length, McCaughan sounds as fresh as he ever has. Analytically angry, melding darker imagery with indignation, McCaughan also musters the wherewithal to remain hopeful. Be Still Please continues the full-on rock band sound of 2005’s Bright Ideas but with more of an emphasis on the orchestration featured in his soundtrack work.
http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/70209.html
