Artist bio

In 1995, filmmaker Steven Spielberg approached young Supergrass -- who had just released debut album I Should Coco -- about creating a Monkees-esque TV series based on the British trio. While the group turned him down, preferring to work on eventual second album In It For The Money, the gesture says a lot about the band's personality -- one which has stuck with the group throughout its career -- which is basically that of a fun-loving rock group whose undeniable musical talent is sometimes overshadowed by the sheer ebullience of its music.

I Should Coco instantly endeared the band to listeners in the U.K., but it was follow-up In It For The Money that really marked a creative leap forward, meshing wild guitar riffs and soulful keyboard melodies with the group's impassioned vocal harmonies. 1999's self-titled third set was not quite as inventive as its predecessor, but saw the band expand its mastery of soul and rock motifs. 2002's Life On Other Planets simply ingrained the fact that Supergrass could continue to ply its effervescent musical outlook over an extended career. "La Song" and "Run" in particular showed the group still finding new ways to express itself.

While Supergrass isn't by any means the most groundbreaking or innovative rock group of its time, it's one of those bands you love to have around, because they keep things fresh and exciting.

Albums by this artist

Road To Rouen (2005)

Life On Other Planets (2002)

Supergrass (1999)

In It For The Money (Recommended) (1997)

I Should Coco (1995)

Interviews

Prawns, Pranks, And Pop Songs
March 14, 2001

Supergrass

Road To Rouen

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» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR

Supergrass Road To Rouen Parlophone, 2005 RiYL: Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, somber Stones

On occasions such as this, I cast my mind's eye backward to the Britpop heyday of the early '90s; that blissful, naive era when Damon Albarn's haircut was front-page news and such was youth's fascination with upbeat, mod-ish English boy bands that a group as uncreative as Menswear found themselves showered with major-label millions.

Sitting in my sister-in-law's flat on a rainy December afternoon in 2005, listening to the latest record by the Britpop survivors Supergrass, I can't help but wonder what Melody Maker and its ilk would have made of this music ten years ago. Sure, Supergrass was around themselves back then, a trio of teenagers pounding out Who- and Kinks-inspired originals with a lager-fueled intensity that even then set them apart from their less gritty scenemates. But Road To Rouen is a quite different animal -- a more nuanced set of nine songs from the now quartet-with-accompanists that reeks of "maturity" but is without a doubt a more impressive musical achievement than anything Oasis or Elastica were churning out to universal praise in those coked-up days of yore.

With the exception of the comical instrumental interlude "Coffee In The Pot," the songs on Road To Rouen are highly developed, illustrating how far Supergrass has come in 10 years. Gaz Coombes' vocals are strong as ever, able to emote at any volume and croon like a lounge singer of bygone years without sounding cheesy or overstrained. Drummer Danny Goffey's rhythms on faster fare like "Kick In The Teeth" are a tasty melange of percussion instruments, but he and bassist Mick Quinn are at their somber best on tracks like "St. Petersburg" and "Low C," the latter of which alternates a mellow, reflective waltz time on the verses with uptempo, smile-inducing bridges.

Multi-mooded opener "Tales Of Endurance (parts 4, 5, and 6)" is the catchy tantalizer, pulling listeners in as it patiently builds to its Zeppelin-esque stomp of a climax, but the album's best track is probably closer "Fin," whose spacey strumming and melismatic vocals comprise a delicate lullaby that leaves one wishing for more (or pressing rewind).

This record's lack of flash would probably have left the NME reviewer and his mid-'90s public cold as they searched for the next best (-dressed) band in the world, but in 2005 it's a welcome respite for our jaded ears and a reminder that some things and some bands only get better with time.

TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.