100,000 Fireflies/Josephine

Merge Records co-founder Mac McCaughan was (is) an indie rock God 'round the Carolinas. I grew up near Chapel Hill celebrating his entire catalogue, from the tightly wound pogo sounds of Superchunk (expect a proper profile later) to the chilled, untuned Portastatic.

And although The Magnetic Fields were also signed to Merge, I had never heard much of them and thus had no idea that "100,000 Fireflies" or "Josephine" were both MF originals (and Mac covers). Knowing this might actually make Superchunk's version even better when you hear what they originally had to work with, switching out smug melody for earnest yelps during the classic opener, "I have a mandolin. I play it all night long. It makes me want to kill myself." Great way to kick things off.

Magnetic Fields - 100,000 Fireflies (from The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees)
Superchunk - 100,000 Fireflies (from Incidental Music)

On the other hand "Josephine" is just a great song, almost impossible to destroy.

Magnetic Fields - Josephine (from The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees)
Portastatic - Josephine (from Naked Pilsners)