Big Dipper had a short-lived heyday from 1985-1990, including one album on Epic, Slam, after which the band, (in an ironic play on words), disbanded. After being dropped by Epic, however, the band continued to record, much of which had been assumed to be lost in the annals of history. However, to astronomers’ delight, Merge Records has resurrected these seemingly lost recordings, along with the band’s formal releases (sans Slam) into a 3-CD, 49 track package. Their various stylings of indie rock are seemingly the ancestors of your current indie rock heroes.
As with any band, if you take 49 tracks and compile them in one release, there are bound to be some instances when you hit “next.” In this case, I am happy to say that, given the breadth of this package, there are few low spots to speak of. It feels like you are listening to your dad’s version of your favorite music; as if all of your favorite indie-rock, pop-rock, and mainstream punk (think The Clash) bands descended from Big Dipper. Supercluster is an absolute must for Big Dipper fans and worth checking out for those who were unaware of the astrological sensation.
