Supergrass
Diamond Hoo Ha (Astralwerks)
By Lou Battaglia
Published: June 10th, 2008 | 1:00pm
In 2005, after the release of several commercial and critical semi-flops, Supergrass — one of the few remaining Brit-pop outfits left over from the mid-1990s — seemed poised to realize a deeper, more refined sonic state of mind with the release of Road to Rouen. Like all Supergrass albums, Rouen was far from great, but possessed several great moments, particularly, “Tales Of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 & 6)”; “Roxy”; and “St. Petersburg,” which is the quintessential ‘I can’t wait to get the hell outta here’ anthem. The complex song structures, attention to atmospheric detail, and generally high level of craftsmanship suggested that the Oxford band’s musical consciousness was expanding — and that we'd be in for something good the next time around.
2008’s Diamond Hoo Ha, however, proves otherwise. Instead of building on the most interesting album Supergrass ever made, the band has instead taken two large musical steps backward. They even go so far as to distance themselves from the previous album by writing it off in their press release as “quite melancholy,” and an album “not everyone [in the band] was feeling.” They also employ the standard ‘back to basics,’ and ‘recovering our roots’ mantras to justify a disappointing retreat from the underappreciated adventurism of Rouen. Thus, Diamond Hoo Ha inevitably comes across as the last swift kick to the dead horse of bluesy, up-tempo Brit-pop, with an end result that is less than stellar.
To be fair, there are some moments from the album that approach worthwhile. The tracks “Ghost of Friend” and “Outside” both hint at something to cheer about, but quickly divulge an annoying aping of the earlier Supergrass sound that is — by 2008 — incredibly trite.
Songs like “Rough Knuckles,” “Rebel InYou,” and “345” are absolute snoozers that shouldn't be listened to while driving or operating heavy machinery; unless, of course, you are a fan of predictable, uninspiring, and sterile blues riffs that reflect the inanity of such lyrics as “Yes I hurt you/ Baby I love you/ And I want you to come home NOW!” On the other hand, long time fan Dave Grohl (a profound peddler of putrid music in his own right) apparently liked the album so much that he asked Supergrass to open up for the Foo Fighters on their upcoming tour. That in itself should tell you just about all you need to know about Diamond Hoo Ha.
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