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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Much was made of the "maturity" of Supergrass's previous album, so much that you'd expect their fourth, Life on Other Planets, to utterly abandon their summer-pop roots. Thankfully, this is not so. From the opening "Za", it's clear that they're keeping adulthood firmly at bay. With its jaunty piano, wailing backing vocals and 70s rock & roll guitars, it's so naturally ebullient you're forced to accept that Supergrass have a youthful feel-good factor in their genetic makeup. And this is far from a one-off example. "Seen the Light" returns to the breezy rush of "Alright", only with added birdsong, sheep-noises and Elvis impersonations, while "Brecon Beacons" is a racy ska-rock; its deadpan narrative warning us to watch out for Welsh witches. This fun-time feel continues through the distorted blitz and raucous chants of "Never Done Nothing Like That Before", the T-Rex rock of "Funniest Thing" and the comic electronics of "LA Song". And then, right at the end, they suddenly grow up--as if to prove they could if they wanted to. The penultimate "Prophet 15" is like a mellow cross between Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and the Beloved's "Hello", while the closing "Run" continues the Floyd theme with its oceanic cymbals, big, slow solo and sci-fi SFX. It's excellent stuff, fresh and varied. Age shall not wither them, it seems. --Dominic Wills
Review
Life On Other Planets is the fourth album from Supergrass and it's quite possibly their best yet. It is certainly a return to form after their disappointing self titled 1999 album. Moments into the first track "Za" the funky piano beat and killer guitar licks announce the return of good time power-pop Supergrass! Immediately you're hooked.
I defy anyone not to smile and tap their foot along to these happy go lucky tunes. By track 4 you'll be positively smitten by their sheer audacity of managing to include the song title "Brecon Beacons" seamlessly into the lyrics. This is surely hit single material with its sci-fi guitar noises and catchy chorus. The lyrics here make bizarre reference to Welsh witches; "It's retribution from the supernatural, you better watch out 'cause they're coming to get you!"
The fun continues with the breezy "Can't Get Up", the raucous Parklife sounding "Never Done Nothing Like That Before" and the fantastic single "Grace". Great, cheery pop songs that were designed with a single aim; to get your body moving. A welcome reminder that indie rock can be cool and witty; it doesn't always have to take itself too seriously. On their previous album the band seemed to ditch the pop songs and become more mature. But on Life On Other Planets they've thankfully managed to mix their mature, intelligent songwriting skills with the pure pop songs that hark back to the heady days of I Should Coco. Despite the main chorus of "Grace" being "save your money for the children" Dad Rock this ain't. Eight years in the business and they sound as fresh as daisies.
Suddenly the album takes a change of direction, which explains the album's title. "Prophet 15" and "Run", the last two songs on the album, sound like the band have entered a space ship and are circling the earth from a great distance. "I'm lost in a cloud and I can't get out, floating away, I can't fly..." echoes lead singer Coombes from far, far away. Supergrass somehow combine David Bowie's space oddity era with Paul McCartney's Wings to wonderful effect and just as you become absorbed into their dream-like state the band slowly disappear into the ether...
Good old Supergrass. They're as endearing and enduring as their sideburns.
Like This? Try These:
Beck - Sea Change
The Music - The Music
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head --Dan Tallis
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Return!,
This review is from: Life On Other Planets (Audio CD)
From the psychedelic era Beatles sound of the opening bars of Za to the last seconds of the mellow Run, this new offering from Supergrass never fails to impress. Whilst the last album (Supergrass) had a few duff moments , there is not one bad track on Life On Other Planets. The band have chosen 12 tracks that show exactly what Supergrass are about.Sure, the sound hasn't changed all that much over the years, but when it's this good, who cares? During third track, Seen The Light, Gaz Coombes does his best Marc Bolan impression and sounds fantastic accompanied by the 70s guitar sound of the band. Brecon Beacons is a quirky little number with witch references and Evening of The Day, whilst not your typical Supergrass song soon grows on you to become a highlight of the album. Never Done Nothing Like That Before is over almost as soon as it has begun, but is fun while it lasts and the recent single Grace needs no introduction - it's one of their best. The last two tracks are the mellowest songs that Supergrass have done in a long time, but are a fitting and welcome relaxation after the pure energy of the previous 10 songs. So, don't expect anything radically different but bear this in mind - any band that can fit John Belushi and Roger Moore into a lyric (Prophet 15) are worth a listen! Buy it today!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Save your money for this album!,
By
This review is from: Life On Other Planets (Audio CD)
Where many other bands are happily churning out more of the same (not looking at anyone in particular Noel..), Supergrass come out with more new ideas than you can shake a stick at on this great new album.Borrowing heavily from a wide range of influences works very well when mixed with their own brand of originality and energy, and you can hear anything from T. Rex ('Seen The Light') to a bit of Abbey Road or Pink Floyd ('Run')... and 'Grace' is a great return to form in a similar vein to 'Pumping On Your Stereo' or 'Alright', and is guaranteed to cheer you up. Without going on about each and every track, it suffices to say that there is something on this album for everyone, and is a welcome addition to their ever growing repetoire of hugely listenable stuff.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Out Of This World,
By A Customer
This review is from: Life On Other Planets (Audio CD)
Here we go with just over 40 minutes of some of the best music to be heard in 2002.The fun kicks of with Za, with a 'Chopsticks' style piano start before the familiar Then 'Rush Hour Soul' ups the tempo slightly with a groovy 70's guitar sound. 'Seen The Light' is excellent. It sounds very T-Rex like, with Gaz snarling 'I'm a rock and roll singer in a rock and roll band' in an Elvis Presley snarl! Fantastically catchy with a break in the middle with birds singing and a sheep baa-ing ! Not letting up comes 'Brecon Beacons', an uptempo number with a tale of a mysterious death and witchcraft ! Weird, but good. Time for a breather ? Not just yet - 'Cant Get Up' starts slowly but before long the tempo picks up. This is another top tune with a sing-a-long chorus - 'I-I-I-I cant get up no more'. 'Evening Of The Day' mellows things out slightly, with a more sombre Gaz singing about love, railway lines and mountains. Think Supergrass doing a Jazz record and this might be close ! Things then mellow even more 2 minutes from the end with some cool whistling and mumblings from the guys. Full on rock for 'Never Done Nothing' - probably the nearest thing to the punky style of 'I Should CoCo'. Classic Supergrass next with 'Funniest Things', quiet verses with big choruses. The first single 'Grace' is fantastic with unforgettable lines like 'You ate our chips and drank our coke, and you showed me Mars on your telescope'. 'Save your money for the children' is the backbone to this one and its a very catchy number from the boys. 'La Song' - quiet start and then bang. Lots of 'La La La' and punky guitars. And Gaz singing about 'The dance of the mashed potato' ! Superb. 'Prophet 15' slows proceedings slightly. Lots of famous names here - Oscar Wilde, Steve McQueen and Cuban hero Che Guevara ! All of them 'lost in a crowd' with Gaz. Wacky and wonderful. 'Just' brings things to a halt. A 5 minute come down that is absolutely fantastic. Only Supergrass can do stuff like this. The band have pulled together styles from their first 3 albums and the result is a classic. I have enjoyed everything they have done so far and this is no exception. I don't think that they could ever match the first album and how it burst on to the scene, the time was just right and BritPop was exploding. But for here and now in 2002 this is just about perfect. Everything you want from a Supergrass album and a little bit more. Still the most underrated UK band. No-one will even come close to this in 2002.
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