SUPERGRASS
Life On Other Planets
EMI/ Parlophone
· Who you callin’ "mature"?
While the moody disco-tinged muddle of Supergrass’ last album was often rejected for its supposed maturity ("how dare Supergrass even try to grow up?"), Life On Other Planets takes a pleasant – yet deceptive – half-step in retrograde.
Gaz and the kids haven’t rocked as fast and as hard as they do on the 90-second "Never Done Nothing Like That Before" since they first grabbed attention with "Caught By The Fuzz" nearly a decade ago. The note-perfect goof-off pop of "Grace" and "Seen The Light" – the latter complete with a spot-on Elvis impression – once and for all christen Supergrass as the only real heirs to the Kinks’ Brit-pop crown.
But it’s not all funny voices and full-out rock ’n' roll, man. The ramshackle whistling cabaret of "Evening Of The Day" revolves on a melody so familiar it’s impossible to pin your finger on it, but it still refuses to go away. Name-dropping Che Guevara and Steve McQueen in the same line, "Prophet 15" and album-closer "Run" stick out as the thorns in the side of critics who want to keep the trio forever young.
If the kids can play grown-up this well, isn’t it time to welcome them to the adult table?
|
