Road To Rouen - Supergrass

...now changed; Supergrass have released Road to Rouen, and THAT song has at last been laid to rest.

"Is this really happening? Is this the same band?!" I checked the box again. Yes, Supergrass… but, something was wrong… it didn't sound like Supergrass… well yes, it did, but no, it didn't; I couldn't quite believe it. They sounded, well… considered; relaxed; wise; knowing. I imagined a mother, parted from her son, he in his ...
...on the new Supergrass album Road to Rouen, brought upon me. Even the name conjures a whiff of progression and mystery (not to mention Star Wars…) The slow, building acoustic guitar, combined with a light, Beatles style piano - over a minute and no words yet! And all of a sudden, a soaring brilliance of horns and brass and strings, and then… mellowed, and a twitching piano leading the acoustic back into a subtle dance, and at last the vocals are here ... more

"We are young, we are free!" Maybe, but all that the critics and record companies heard was "we are immature; we will never be taken seriously!" There is twisted irony in the fact that for the past ten years Supergrass have tried desperately to escape from the image that they themselves created in happy-go-lucky Britpop hit Alright. For much of the latter part of the 90's and the early '00's, they have refused to play the song live and far from casting them onto the sky rocket to success, it now dangles at their legs, a forever-hindering ball and chain: "Who did you say you were…? … Oh that's right, the guys who did that song all those years ago…" Its release triggered a guillotine that sliced them apart from the other bands of their era, the likes of Oasis and Blur; they were tainted with an aura of childishness that was bitterly unfair, and to this day are unable to gain the recognition for their work that those latter bands did. Which, I for one, think is an absolute travesty.

Because Supergrass, far from being the identity that is forever branded to their name, are possibly the most supremely talented songwriters of the 1990's. Look at the track listing to their recent greatest hits album: Grace, Sun Hits the Sky, Moving, Pumping on Your Stereo, Mary, Strange Ones, Rush Hour Soul… but to name a few. The quantity and quality of the work that they have produced is far better than Oasis, who still haven't matched the high of their debut album. Over a decade, Supergrass have consistently put out great albums and released great tunes. I'd go as far as to say that their work almost resembles the kind of constant listenability that Beatles hits had. I said almost. Far from Gallagher and co claiming the Lennon crown, it is Gaz Coombe's crowd that have done more to deserve it. They have countless tracks that any other band would kill for. So why is it that every week, at local nightclub/dive The Tiv, the only 'Grass song that gets played is Alright?

What Supergrass never had - without taking anyway away from their other tunes - was a truly sincere, truly masterful piece of work. All their songs were great, but all their songs were also three minute pop tunes. And every tune had, somewhere hidden craftily away, the resounding influence of Alright. Sometimes it wasn't even in there and we just imagined it, but it always loomed, always retracted from them; a paradoxical circle from which they just could not escape. All this has now changed; Supergrass have released Road to Rouen, and THAT song has at last been laid to rest.

"Is this really happening? Is this the same band?!" I checked the box again. Yes, Supergrass… but, something was wrong… it didn't sound like Supergrass… well yes, it did, but no, it didn't; I couldn't quite believe it. They sounded, well… considered; relaxed; wise; knowing. I imagined a mother, parted from her son, he in his teens, the pair then reunited ten years later, the boy now a man, and the mother's shock at his passage into the world. That is what emotion listening to Tales of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 and 6), first track on the new Supergrass album Road to Rouen, brought upon me. Even the name conjures a whiff of progression and mystery (not to mention Star Wars…) The slow, building acoustic guitar, combined with a light, Beatles style piano - over a minute and no words yet! And all of a sudden, a soaring brilliance of horns and brass and strings, and then… mellowed, and a twitching piano leading the acoustic back into a subtle dance, and at last the vocals are here and My God they're amazing! This is not Supergrass; this is granddad Supergrass; this is Supergrass the older and the wiser; this is Supergrass taking their time, adding vibrant layers and beautiful winding harmonies, not just clever but CLEVER, timed, smooth, laid back. And the song builds and builds, and finally we're led in to a Zeppelin style guitar riff and layer upon layer of melody and instrument, and then we're fading out into nearly six minutes of the best work of a band's career to date.

The progression from EVERYTHING else Supergrass have ever done to what is on this new album is simply jaw-dropping. The only thing I can think of that even comes close is the song Moving, and even that feels rushed in comparison. St Petersburg is an absolute beauty; like many of the songs here, it is acoustically led with a melodic piano part. The drums evoke the feeling of snowy Russia, calm and cold, the strings sounding cool. There is a wonderful piano solo in which a note is played that I would describe as off key, although this is probably the wrong term; at any rate, this one note, so different to what the ear predicts, really focuses the song, and re-enforces a feeling of melancholy that the mood enchants. Then there's Roxy, strings again featuring heavily, and interesting chord changes, and wonderful harmonies. The song's okay, up until the point that the chorus kicks in; that's when it becomes a masterpiece. The drums are laid off, the piano comes to the front, and a beautiful minor chord change sweeps the song off into a lazy cloud that is about as far from Supergrass's past efforts as the Earth is from the Sun. I said that I rated Supergrass's older stuff higher than most of their rivals; songs like Roxy and St Petersburg make them pale in comparison.

Influences are worn on sleeves; I've mentioned Zeppelin - track eight, Low C, is Beatles through and through, simple Lennon-like acoustic work building to an uplifting chorus/coda that sparks memories of the likes of Hey Jude. I've heard it said that the beginning of Tales… reminds some of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. Throughout the album strings are used to great effect, really filling out songs, adding a depth of melody. The one thing that is maintained from past 'Grass albums is a supreme catchiness; it will take literally one listen to each song for you to start singing along. This highlights just how superb the songwriters are in the band - that your attention is grabbed, and through all the complexity a melody and a hook are maintained. This album shows the kind of shift in tempo and pace, and the maturity in sound and experimentation that albums like Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and Sgt. Pepper by The Beatles showed.

A few grumbles, but quite important ones. The album is too short for what it represents - 9 tracks cashing in at 35 minutes; this is not The Strokes. 11 or 14 would have been better, ensuring that this new and exciting sound was backed up by a good chunky catalogue of tunes. Tied to this is that Coffee in the Pot is really a throwaway jam, all be it an enjoyable one. Whilst reminding us of the tongue-in-cheek nature of past albums, it also means that only 8 of the songs can be considered as proper tunes. I am also not a fan of Fin, album closer, which whiffs of borderline cheese, and means that really there are only 7 songs here.

But don't let my whinging undermine the absolute triumph of the album; it really is a spectacular shift in gear, a touching and brilliant piece of work that should firmly establish 'Grass as one of the best modern bands. I was shocked at Leeds '03 to see them headlining the Radio 1 tent, and not having a main stage slot; this album WILL change that. Go out, part with some cash, and lend an ear to the fantastic progression of one of the most underrated bands of all time. Supergrass are finally free.
 

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