While somehow managing to stay relevant as the musical world championed phases from Britpop to garage rock, Supergrass has proven to be the most reliable band that we’ve got.
The poppy fuzz of I Should Coco put them on the map. The masterpiece, In It For the Money, secured their legacy as brilliant pop craftsmen, and the sometimes lazy, yet equally brilliant self-titled effort even scored them a minor hit with “Pumping On Your Stereo.” All of these records, each one an homage to the great pop-rock bands of the past (Kinks, Buzzcocks, Beatles, etc), come together to form one of the most pleasing and exuberant catalogs of any band working today. Their latest, Life On Other Planets, is perhaps the most representative of this impressive career, as it combines the elements from each of these records into 12 radio-friendly hits in the making.
They start out with a glamorous nod to T-Rex with “Za,” then move on to “Rush Hour Soul,” a song that boasts a tension-building frenzy of feedback before finishing up with its all too catchy riff.
The record is unpredictably silly. There are random coughs and references to mashed potatoes. “Seen the Light” has sheep noises in it. It’s mind boggling, really, that so much goofiness culminates in so much brilliance. As Life on Other Planets reveals quirks and other surprises that would brand any other band annoying, we buy into it because it’s classic Supergrass.
The best moments come when the band stray into classic pop territory, with the catchy choruses of “La Song” and “Never Done Nothing Like That Before” easily hummable the second time around.
The finest track on Planets is “Grace.” Boasting its “Save Your Money For the Children” and seemingly nonsensical lyrics, it’s perhaps their finest and most rocking moment since “Richard III” from In It For the Money.
The record is another valid effort from a brilliant band. Most impressively, as you listen to Life On Other Planets over and over again, you know they’re only going to get better.
