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Diamond Hoo Ha
Rating: 4.5 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
By Rick Sieber
Just when did Supergrass become so ordinary? Once the snotty kid brothers of the 1990s Britpop explosion, these Oxford lads followed a dynamite debut with an even better second album (1997’s In It For the Money), a career peak they are still striving to live up to. Their latest disc finds them falling short once again, but with little of the inspired eclecticism and punchy songcraft that, if nothing else, has always kept their music interesting. Downplaying their usual Who-and-Bowie-isms and directing their Britpop classicism towards a more arena-ready sound, Supergrass now sound positively slick, their early snarkiness replaced with a much more refined swagger. With so much of their initial appeal stemming from the exuberant energy that only a bunch of clever ruffians can muster, it’s tempting to attribute this shift to the simple act of growing up. Yet there are enough interesting tracks here -- especially the Motown-on-steroids romp of “Rebel In You”-- to suggest that age hasn’t dulled their inspiration so much as the studio has. Nick Launay’s atypically restrained production feels far too polished, Gaz Coombes’ distinctive choked vocals have given way to a more subdued (and boring) classic-rock croon, and the usually dependable hooks never transcend their overly cozy, thoroughly professional context. Their lyrics still bite, and their musicianship remains firmly intact, but by trimming away their trademark excess, the band’s personality seems to have been lost in the shuffle. (Astralwerks)
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