Supergrass
Supergrass Is 10

Underappreciated Brit-pop trio gets their moment in the sun

Named not for the potent weed but after the nickname given to major police informants in the '70's, Supergrass have a cheeky, blokey charm their name suggest. At their most upbeat - the pub-piano anthems "Alright", Mansize Rooster", and Pumping On Your Stereo" - they make Madness seem as morose as Radiohead, with a cockney verve that summons an image of Dick Van Dyke capering across the London skyline. Their appeal hasn't traveled and even at home, this staple of outdoor mega-festivals still jokingly resigns itself to being "Britain's fifth favorite band." Nice guys finish better than that, though. This decade-spanning best-of reveals musical richness (bits of the Stones, Pink Floyd and Marc Bolan), wry humor and discipline in nailing a hook. The slight anachronisms- their giant sudeburns, and glam-rock axe-pouts - only help make them more fun than rock & roll has any right to be.
4/5

Andrew Harrison, Blender - October 2004