Magnapop

History

Linda Hopper grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and got involved in the Athens music scene while attending the University of Georgia. There she met Michael Stipe in an art design class. Stipe later founded R.E.M., and Hopper played with him in the experimental group Tanzplagen, which also included Stipe's sister Lynda. When that band ended, Lynda Stipe and Hopper formed Oh-OK, later adding Matthew Sweet and David McNair.

That project wrapped up in 1984, and Hopper then spent a short time in a Washington, D.C. band called Holiday, which put out a single EP in 1987. Ruthie Morris moved to Atlanta from West Palm Beach, Florida, where she had played guitar in a few shows with The Pockets. After trying and failing to click with local male musicians, she was introduced to Hopper by a mutual friend. They wrote their first song together the same day at Hopper's apartment.

Finding other band members proved tough—Hopper later said they had to beg people to play with them. In March 1990, they finally recruited bassist Tim Lee and drummer David McNair. Lee left quickly and was replaced by Shannon Mulvaney, whom Morris met at a record store. They called themselves Homemade Sister, inspired by a line from the film Baby Doll, and released their first single in 1990 on Safety Net Records.

Unhappy with that name, they briefly tried Swell, then switched to Swell Dopa after learning a San Francisco band already used Swell.

Musical style

Magnapop have been described as power pop by multiple rock critics, with performances compared to punk, new wave, and surf rock. Reviewers note their pop-influenced songwriting, guitar hooks, and simple chord structures, drawing comparisons to Bob Mould's work in Sugar and Hüsker Dü, as well as Georgia acts Guadalcanal Diary and Let's Active, and alternative rock pioneers Pixies and The Replacements. The album Rubbing Doesn't Help marked a stylistic shift toward more guitar-oriented rock, while the comeback Mouthfeel returned to the pop-inspired sound of Hot Boxing. Ruthie Morris is known for aggressive guitar playing that interacts with Linda Hopper's pop vocals; the vocal harmony between the two singers has defined the band's sound, especially on later releases. Critics have compared Morris' guitar to punk musicians like Johnny Ramone and alternative rock guitarist Johnny Marr.

Covers and tributes

Magnapop's song "Open the Door" was later recorded by Eels as a B-side for their single "Flyswatter" and appeared on the compilation Useless Trinkets. Eels also played it live during their Electro-Shock Blues Show tour. In 2008, Stingray Digital made karaoke versions available on iTunes. R.E.M. covered "Favorite Writer" as a B-side to their 2003 single "Bad Day" and performed it on tour that year. Juliana Hatfield wrote "Ruthless" in 1993 for Magnapop guitarist Ruthie Morris, inspired by a 1992 tour conversation about Camille Paglia. The song was a B-side on the Juliana Hatfield Three singles "Spin the Bottle" and "My Sister."