Life on Other Planets [VINYL]

Supergrass

Much was made of the "maturity" of Supergrass's previous album, so much that you'd expect their fourth, Life on Other Planets, to utterly abandon their summer-pop roots. Thankfully, this is not so. From the opening "Za", it's clear that they're keeping adulthood firmly at bay. With its jaunty piano, wailing backing vocals and 70s rock & roll guitars, it's so naturally ebullient you're forced to accept that Supergrass have a youthful feel-good factor in their genetic makeup. And this is far from a one-off example. "Seen the Light" returns to the breezy rush of "Alright", only with added birdsong, sheep-noises and Elvis impersonations, while "Brecon Beacons" is a racy ska-rock; its deadpan narrative warning us to watch out for Welsh witches. This fun-time feel continues through the distorted blitz and raucous chants of "Never Done Nothing Like That Before", the T-Rex rock of "Funniest Thing" and the comic electronics of "LA Song". And then, right at the end, they suddenly grow up--as if to prove they could if they wanted to. The penultimate "Prophet 15" is like a mellow cross between Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and the Beloved's "Hello", while the closing "Run" continues the Floyd theme with its oceanic cymbals, big, slow solo and sci-fi SFX. It's excellent stuff, fresh and varied. Age shall not wither them, it seems. --Dominic Wills