Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha (Parlophone)
3/5
By: Charlie Bradford
Back in the day, Supergrass were four cheeky Oxford chaps running along a beach singing about being young. Well, they certainly are all grown up now, and their newest album Diamond Hoo Ha is a reflection of this. It might feel like Supergrass is another one of those bandwagon jumping groups from the 90s - like The Verve and Shed Seven, they have seen the reformation of their peers and have decided to rear their heads again. But that is not the case, as they have been steadily releasing material throughout the noughties. The difference is that this album is a return to their roots - far fewer pianos than Road To Rouen, that's for sure.
Kicking off with the rocky title track, listeners are instantly sent back to the Supergrass heyday. But soon there's a plodding and deeply introspective thread emerging. In 'Return to Inspiration', Coombes' languid voice echoes and chimes like a rubber ball reverberating through a metal tube', and 'Rebel in You' sounds like a speeded up version of Talking Heads's 'Road to Nowhere'. Yet it's not all so out there - 'When I Needed You' is a Supertramp sound-a-like ballsy ballad, and tracks such as '345', 'Rough Knuckles' and 'Outside' bring in a bit of much needed energy. 'Butterfly' is definitely a favourite of mine, the organesque keys of Rob Coombes and the constant battering of drums from Goffey give an extra dimension to this cracking tune.
Although Supergrass were around way before many of today's similar-sounding bands such as Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes, they just don't quite leave you wanting more - not this time at least. Diamond Hoo Ha is quite a good record, all told; but feels like one of those experiences you can't quite remember clearly. It's there in the dusty recesses of your mind but there is nothing about it to keep it truly memorable.
Artists in this article: Supergrass
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