The Bottom Line: Worth every penny of a full-price purchase, Life On Other Planets standout out as an exceptionally creative album. Thank you, Supergrass, for making very special music.
lambchops's Full Review: Life on Other Planets by Supergrass
Once in the bluest of moons I pick up a newly released, positively hyped album. My sister, fellow reviewers, and many others suggested that I not wait to get Life on Other Planets from British hipsters Supergrass. All the hype, support, and attention are certainly warranted.
The London-based Supergrass has had an unusually fruitful and long career for a band of Brit-poppers. But what makes them much more appealing than some of the other, admittedly lighter, bands is that they make pop with roots in rock and roll. Supergrass sounds like nobody else. They blend elements from each of the three past decades including punk, pop, new wave, and straight ahead rock n’ roll. The resulting songs are generally upbeat, usually invigorating, ridiculously catchy, and absolutely memorable.
Supergrass formed in 1993. Two years later the trio recorded and released their debut album I Should Coco. It was way back then that I first heard what they had to say. Gaz Coombes (vocals, guitar), Mickey Quinn (bass), and Danny Goffey (drums) immediately struck a chord in this then 18-year-old with songs like Alright and Caught By The Fuzz. But whether or not the band would be able to replicate their early success was anybody’s guess.
In 1997, Supergrass returned with It It For The Money, another decently inspiring album. While no song from the sophomore album was immediately as recognizable as Alright, the album on the whole was equally as good. Songs ranging from In It For The Money to Late in The Day were incredible efforts. But would Supergrass be able to do the impossible and once again spawn another great album?
The answer to that question was unfortunately “no.” The band’s self-titled third release (1999) did manage to once again plant them on American charts as a result of Pumping on Your Stereo. There were other high points, but the album was regrettably forgettable.
It is for this reason that I eagerly anticipated the release of Life on Other Planets. Though it took me a few weeks to actually pick the disc up for fear that it would be less perfect than all the hype would seem to suggest. But Supergrass did it. They put together a seamless, fun, maybe even classic rock and roll album. Notice, I called it rock and roll for good reason. It is tossed into the Brit-pop category mistakenly. On this outing, the band is unquestionably paying homage to great rock bands of yore like the Jam but also others ranging from the Beatles to the kitschy Cheap Trick.
Life on Other Planets can’t be glorified enough. Gaz’s voice throughout the album is as perfect as it was on the best songs from the earlier three albums. The band as a whole has managed to come together and create a cohesive, intelligent musical vision, a vision that is too often lacking from the vastest majority of music today. The twelve songs flow beautifully from one to the next. None sounds too similar to another, but Supergrass doesn’t jump randomly around between influences and ideas. They just somehow have discovered a way in which to write and perform music that is intelligent, diverse, and also entertaining. Life on Other Planets offers a wider variety of appeal to a more diverse audience. Open-minded fans of rock, Brit-pop, classic rock, and punk should all find something solid to grasp.
There are a few standout tracks. True diamonds in a sea of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires include Grace, Za, Seen The Light, Can’t Get Up and Brecon Beacons. Though the real appeal of this excellent album is in the consistently impressive quality. Not one song is mediocre, much less bad. Life on Other Planets is nothing less than a five-star outing and probably worth more if it is at all possible.
Grace is the best song on this entire disc chock full of incredible tracks. The up tempo masterpiece is light, cheery, and exuberant. The sparse, rock aesthetics recall both contemporaries like Pulp and classics like Cheap Trick. Gaz’s voice warbles wonderfully with an air of confidence, yet still a boyish vulnerability. The song itself couldn’t have been written or performed more perfectly. It is a powerful, enjoyable, and completely worthwhile song. And even if none of the remaining songs was able to equal the flawlessness of Grace, this album would be worth hearing. But impressively Life on Other Planets resonates with timeless precision from start to finish.
Kicking off with Za, Supergrass makes an immediate impact. Driven by piano, guitars, and percussion the song is a modern, spacey, and joyous. Yet the band oozes a passionate attitude not at all different than their 70’s forefathers. Za is a brief song, but one of the most luminous of the disc. It segues seamlessly into Rush Hour Soul, a guitar-laden power-pop-rock song. While not the album’s most perfect, it is worth hearing.
Seen the Light on the other hand is a beautiful pop song, most similar in fact to the band’s best work on former albums like In It For The Money. The guitars and drums are sparse and unobtrusive. Tony Hoffer’s (Beck, Air, Marianne Faithful) light-handed production allows for Supergrass’s talent to shine through. When listening to this album if feels on the whole as if the band were playing a quaint, live show. It is this quality, combined with the band’s easy sense of humor and innate talent that have finally converged on this 2002/2003 release.
The space-rock, retro feel of Brecon Beacons is refreshing. A brief song, it ranks as one of the album’s best. Gaz emotes energetically with a voice that could have just as easily been from twenty-five years ago. What follows next is the groovy, creatively free, and enormously appealing Can’t Get Up. My second favorite song of the album, it is once again fast yet sparsely instrumented. Gaz has a brilliant vocal talent and Quinn and Goffey are able to keep up with their front man with zero trouble. The track comes off as lackadaisical, but upon delving further it becomes clear that nothing about Supergrass is done without purpose. The lyrics on Can’t Get Up are worth listening carefully to, as are the words on all of the rest of the songs.
Driving into the sun light
I've been thinking about a better life
There nothing left to delight in
It's a sign we ain't got it right
Fading out on the highway
California coming into sight
There's no one here to rely on
It's the sign that makes me wonder why
Continuing on, Evening of the Day begins as an uncharacteristically intense selection. As the song goes on, it becomes increasingly mellow. While not the best song here, it is certainly worth partaking in. Never Done Nothing Like That Before and Funniest Thing are also grand songs. The former is easily identified as punk. Songs like this are what make Life on Other Planets successful. The breadth of the band’s talent is evident throughout, but the band possesses the unique ability to come off as both a true pop and punk band while incorporating many other genres thus deepening the album’s appeal. Funniest Thing is an off-kilter, though up beat track. Despite being one of the “lesser” songs, it is so very much more than filler.
The final three songs are all worth hearing. Supergrass has accomplished an album, not full of mediocre singles but instead jam-packed with twelve songs any of which could easily be played on radio. La Song slows the pace down momentarily until it breaks into thick, bass-guitar driven beats. Prophet 15 on the other hand distinguishes itself from the bulk of the disc by infusing the psychedelia of Pink Floyd with their own brand of retro rock. At times the song drags, but even though it is probably the worst song it is nonetheless a fantastically beautiful offering. Finally, Run wraps things off radiantly with vocal harmonies highlighted by an organ and little else. Gaz is obviously talented as are Quinn and Goffey.
Life on Other Planets is the album that Supergrass needed to make in order to solidify their importance to British music. Up until the release of this new recording, I still questioned their validity and talent. It was clear that the trio could make catchy pop-rock-punk songs, but what lacked clarity was whether or not they would be remembered for their abilities. Life on Other Planets has effectively erased all doubt. Supergrass is here to stay. This album is inconceivably breathtaking, dazzling, intelligent, and most importantly visionary.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Za | 02. Rush Hour Soul | 03. Seen the Light | 04. Brecon Beacons | 05. Can’t Get Up | 06. Evening of the Day | 07. Never Done Nothing Like That Before | 08. Funniest Thing | 09. Grace | 10. La Song | 11. Prophet 15 | 12. Run
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