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September 04, 2005
Road to Rouen review from X-Press Online
Supergrass have, album by album, abandoned their stronghold of quirks and humour for a walk through the broader and more sombre big wide world. It hasn't always worked as well as the funny stuff, but it has occasionally worked better, and Road To Rouen possesses a little from column A and a little from column B. Surprisingly 'soft' as far as Supergrass go (even some of their past dark moments had a slight musical 'heaviness' to them) there is a hobo cabaret feel to much of this that likens it to sucky iconographic figures as Tom Waits, al eit without the gin-ravaged vocal cords. Within this common theme can also be found mild detours, such as tremolosoake instrumentals and the occasional upbeat 'fun' moments, but all things considered, Road To Rouen is easily Supergrass at their most grumpy. The lack of an overt pop leaning makes the album significantly harder to enjoy on initial listens than previous Supergrass records, but after a while your brain and ears stop waiting for The Monkees and begin to understand just what it is this ambitious album is designed to achieve. The price for such ambition will undoubtedly be a cold reaction from those fans who like Supergrass for their ability to bring a smile to the ol' face, but does I Should Coco really need re-writing just for laughs?
MIKE WAFER X-Press Online
Posted by adriaan at September 4, 2005 07:37 PM