Supergrass | In It For The Money
Supergrass are undoubtedly one of the freshest bands to come out of the nineties. After being signed up just three months after forming, they released a string of top 10 hits including the anthem 'Alright'. For some reason best known to themselves, they chose to hang back while other bands stole the limelight. This seems to have paid off, however, and with a third album on the way from the Oxford rockers, they show no signs of fatigue.

'In It For The Money' has 'classic' written all over it. What becomes apparent as you listen to this beautifully recorded album is Supergrass' love for all things musical. While other bands such as Oasis feed only from raw attitude and the odd crude guitar solo, Supergrass use what ever instruments are available to them - guitars, moog synthesisers and even Indian Tabla drums - to create a rich musical experience with every song. When compared to the 'mighty' Oasis, their songwriting focus seems totally different; while Oasis rely on their laddish britpop attitude to get them through every song, Supergrass have an almost total disregard for lyrics, implementing them in different ways.

For example, in the typically Supergrass track 'Going Out', the lyrics mean almost nothing as Gaz forces them out with his trademark inimitable singing style with total disregard. The penultimate track on the album, 'Hollow Little Reign', is a sombre, melodic masterpiece in which Gaz clearly means what he says. What really marks out Supergrass as a very special band is hard to pinpoint, but by listening to this album you'll realise that unknown quality straight away. 'Richard III' marks out a new era in Supergrass' songwriting ability. It is heavy, yet it still retains that unquestionable melodic Supergrass element.

As I write this, Supergrass' third album is on the way. The way things have been going for them, they seem to be going from strength to strength. Let's just hope their new album is as musically fresh and diverse as this 90's classic.

Sound Clips
'Going Out' - (0:23) | 'Richard III' - (0:28)

RATING: 94%