Supergrass
I Should Coco (Capitol)
by Marc Hirsh
Supergrass
I Should Coco (Capitol)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Public News, October 4, 1995
Since punk was a British creation (the Ramones played loud and fast but weren't punk like the Sex Pistols were), it doesn't come as much of a surprise that England is pissed off at the success of Green Day. The Brits invented it, you see, and it's not fair for us Yanks to try to pull off a perfect punk throwback band. And so, with Supergrass, they show us how it's supposed to be done.
Sounding like the Clash led by Suede's Brett Anderson, Supergrass also possesses a sublime sense of humor (example: sounding like the Clash led by Suede's Brett Anderson). They celebrate juvenile delinquency over a blast of electric mayhem that converts a pretty midtempo pop anthem like "Alright" into something more insidious. It's the rhythm section that gives it away as the reggae-based punk tune that it is.
The album starts off asking where the strange ones go, and by the second half, we know. Supergrass celebrate oddity in "We're Not Supposed To" (which is why they're gonna) and sound thrilled about being thrown in the slammer ("Caught By The Fuzz"). Still, they're not afraid to dabble into sentimentality, telling us that "I won't come home 'cause you never hold my hand" and even pulling off an "I'd die for you."
A few attempts to stretch out fail. "Sofa (Of My Lethargy)" is a psychedelic mess, and the Stonesy shuffle of "Time" seems out of place. These might be parts of the joke, though. It's hard to tell with a band that throws ridiculous falsetto backing vocals all over the place and, in one song, speeds up the tape to double speed.
The cynic in me wonders if there's an ounce of credibility in any of this. The romantic in me gives Supergrass points for looking and sounding dead on. No points for guessing which wins.