DASHING DEBUTS: Supergrass – I Should Coco

There are all these bands nowadays that are releasing debut albums that some people prematurely define as “a classic”. Whether it be Bloc Party or The Killers, most are speaking too soon. The last debut album that I personally consider to have the potential to be a future classic is Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights in 2002. To check out an example of a somewhat recent classic debut, look no further than SupergrassI Should Coco. The 1995 album featured an energetic young lineup straight out of school. The Oxford threesome quickly reached the top of the charts with their exciting new sound combining elements of The Clash’s punk roots and The Jam’s brilliant persona, along with the traditional classic rock elements of David Bowie and The Beatles. The year of 1995, already eclipsed by new albums from Blur and Oasis, found a worthy competitor in Supergrass.

The rapid fire of ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ was one of the first showings of the band’s witty lyrical humor. ‘Mansize Rooster’ and ‘Alright’ are led by very strong keys, as vocalist Gaz Coombes carried the song with an enjoyable sneer that just shouted “we are young, we run free,” which basically described their rising career at the time. The quick little solo in the song is simple but effective as well. My favorite song off of the album was ‘Sitting Up Straight’, which is just too damn catchy. Even songs such as the cautiously epic ‘Sofa (of my lethargy’ and ‘Strange Ones’ (which sounds as if Gollum is featured) are odd but entirely fun. Though the band sounds young in this album, there were still quick glances of what was to come later in their career. Eventually, Gaz’s brother Rob joined the band as an official member and they released their pleasing fifth album Road to Rouen last year to warm reviews. The band is still kicking and rightfully so.

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Supergrass – Caught By The Fuzz

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/sup-cau.mp3]

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Supergrass – Mansize Rooster

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/sup-man.mp3]

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Supergrass – Alright

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/sup-alr.mp3]

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Supergrass – Sitting Up Straight

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/sup-sit.mp3]

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Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

Send your music to [email protected].

1 Comment

  1. yup great singles band, I don’t think they have really nailed a brilliant album yet (I should coco was great fun though). The DVD documentary is really entertaining and watching all the classic videos makes me wish a slow and painful death to imitators to their indie/punk/pop throne like the kaiser chiefs.

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