Superdrag: Industry Giants

If 1990s alternative rock was a reality TV show, Knoxville, Tennessee’s Superdrag would have survived more than its share of rose ceremonies by now. After a particularly negative major label stint with Elektra, the band has independently soldiered on through lineup changes and religious epiphanies for most of the current decade. Their ironically titled new album Industry Giants is the first to feature all four original members since 1998, delivering 12 selections that finds principal songwriter John Davis re-embracing the straightforward grungy pop upon which the band initially built its reputation. There’s no shortage of catchy melodies throughout, but most of the songs still somehow manage to fall victim to one-dimensional arrangements and obscure lyrics. How power pop can be so unmemorable is a mystery to me, but Davis and his bandmates appear to have it solved.