A new release by the British band Supergrass is not unlike bumping into an old best friend from high school after several years.
It's hard to believe that 13 years after their debut release (I Should Coco-1995) that Diamond Hoo Ha - their newest release, is only their 6th studio recording - and one of those was a "best of" (Supergrass Is 10).
Most recording contracts require more than that from an artist in seven years - but it's to both their label and the band themselves credit that they have been allowed to follow this very deliberate path.
The reward has almost always been worth the wait, with the only exception being their last release three years ago (Road To Rouen).
Unlike a lot of the artists who descended onto the musical landscape during the brit-pop years beginning in the mid-90's such as Blur and Oasis, Supergrass has always had a musical maturity to their sound, and that bar is raised even higher with Diamond Hoo Ha).
" The eleven song release still features their trademark rock and roll ebullience, but none of their previous releases have taken it to this level.
Not a single song disappoints - and more than half the CD will have you scrambling to hit the repeat button.
Oddly enough, the first song released, "Diamond Hoo Ha Man", is one of the weaker sounding tracks, as is the first "official" release, "Bad Blood" - which almost sounds like it was hand selected for alternative radio airplay (think narrow).
The rest of the release just glows, with some of their best work coming on tracks such as "345", "Ghost Of A Friend" (my personal favorite), "Outside", "Rebel In You" and the raucous "Rough Knuckles".
It seems to get harder and harder to honestly suggest owning a complete CD by an artist anymore, with most topping out at two, or if you're lucky, three outstanding tracks.
Diamond Hoo Ha is an exception to the rule - even to those previously unfamiliar with their precious few releases.
It's hard to believe that 13 years after their debut release (I Should Coco-1995) that Diamond Hoo Ha - their newest release, is only their 6th studio recording - and one of those was a "best of" (Supergrass Is 10).
Most recording contracts require more than that from an artist in seven years - but it's to both their label and the band themselves credit that they have been allowed to follow this very deliberate path.
The reward has almost always been worth the wait, with the only exception being their last release three years ago (Road To Rouen).
Unlike a lot of the artists who descended onto the musical landscape during the brit-pop years beginning in the mid-90's such as Blur and Oasis, Supergrass has always had a musical maturity to their sound, and that bar is raised even higher with Diamond Hoo Ha).
" The eleven song release still features their trademark rock and roll ebullience, but none of their previous releases have taken it to this level.
Not a single song disappoints - and more than half the CD will have you scrambling to hit the repeat button.
Oddly enough, the first song released, "Diamond Hoo Ha Man", is one of the weaker sounding tracks, as is the first "official" release, "Bad Blood" - which almost sounds like it was hand selected for alternative radio airplay (think narrow).
The rest of the release just glows, with some of their best work coming on tracks such as "345", "Ghost Of A Friend" (my personal favorite), "Outside", "Rebel In You" and the raucous "Rough Knuckles".
It seems to get harder and harder to honestly suggest owning a complete CD by an artist anymore, with most topping out at two, or if you're lucky, three outstanding tracks.
Diamond Hoo Ha is an exception to the rule - even to those previously unfamiliar with their precious few releases.
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