Wiping Off The Dust: Supergrass - In It For The Money; Breakup Reported

Today is a sad day in the annals of Brit Pop as veteran band Supergrass has called it quits after 17 years. Their sound have evolved over the years from snot nose punk to reflective acoustic numbers while making frequent stopovers in that little, well-visited town called Beatlesque. Often in the same discussion with more well known bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and The Libertines, Supergrass made their sound distinct by never being bogged down by taking themselves to seriously while effortlessly churning out album after album of infectious, joyful and catchy pop songs.

I heard of Supergrass like most people; their first singles "Caught By The Fuzz" and "Alright" were all over the charts in the U.K. in 1995 and reached the states through alternative routes. However, their second album, "In It For The Money" was the more mature, polished and expanded effort that set their sound in motion for their forthcoming albums. The raucous, revved-up fun was still there on the singles "Cheapskate" and "Richard III", using their new keyboardist effectively and employing a Theremin in the latter track, just for the hell of it. Nevertheless, it is always those songs that break new ground and expand into new arenas that garner new listeners and keep the present fans interested and happy. Mellow tracks like "It's Not Me", "Hollow Little Reign" and single "Late In The Day" begin their journey into maturity without losing that playful edge. The real gem here is the extended rocker "Sun Hits The Sky", a song so ready for concert encores that you can feel the crush and hear the sing-along of the crowd in that bouncing bass and uplifting chorus. Overall, there is no filler on "In It For Money" with each track having direction and it's own personality making it of my favorite albums of that period.

According to NME,  Supergrass has split while recording their seventh album "Release The Drones". There is no indication of when, or if, the album will be released, or if it is even finished. Their understated swan song will be a simple tour of four European concert dates. Nevertheless, Supergrass deserves high praise for being a British band whose retained their popularity without being splashed across gossip pages for interband brawls, publicized celebrity dating and drug abuse. Instead, Supergrass kept it simple producing great music while making it all look easy.

Tracklist

1. In It For The Money
2. Richard III
3. Tonight
4. Late In The Day
5. G-Song
6. Sun Hits The Sky
7. Going Out
8. It's Not Me
9. Cheapskate
10. You Can See Me
11. Hollow Little Reign
12. Sometimes I Make You Sad

Late In The Day



Sun Hits The Sky