Superchunk Can Always Count On: “Priceless: How I Went Undercover To Rescue The World’s Stolen Treasures” By Robert K Wittman With John Shiffman

Don’t call it a comeback, Superchunk‘s been here for years. The band members just haven’t been doing anything since the release of 2001’s stellar Here’s To Shutting Up. Well, not much together, anyway, apart from a few one-off gigs and the occasional single. Singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance have their hands full running Merge Records and raising families (plus McCaughan has released a number of fine Portastatic records); drummer Jon Wurster has toured and/or hit the studio with the likes of Robert Pollard, the New Pornographers, Bob Mould and the Mountain Goats in between hilarious Facebook postings and Best Show On WFMU appearances; and while we’re not sure what guitarist Jim Wilbur has been up to, other than gigging with Portastatic, he probably has a lot on his plate, too. It’s a wonder the busy quartet was able to reconvene for the fine Majesty Shredding (Merge), a more-than-welcome return that’s accompanied by the band’s first full-on, albeit relatively brief, tour since 2001. Superchunk will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with McCaughan and Ballance.

Mac: Priceless: How I Went Undercover To Rescue The World’s Stolen Treasures is a fascinating book by the FBI agent (who came to the FBI rather late in life) who founded the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Amazing tales of recovering stolen masterpieces and antiquities around the world. Wittman goes undercover amongst French gangsters and other shady characters and relates his fairly sensational exploits in a non-sensational befitting of an FBI man. Frustrating to read how far behind the U.S. is in terms of valuing this kind of work and how the FBI hamstrings its own agents, but really great true crime with an art slant.

Video after the jump.