Supergrass: "Road to Rouen"

[Bubba McBubba]

OK. So, I picked up "Road to Rouen" this past weekend and the first thing I notice is the incredibly tasteful font they have used for all of the artwork text. Very nice. It definitely complements the suitable-for-framing cover art of a long exposure of car lights streaking under a European overpass.

Then I flip the case over and immediately notice there are only 9 tracks. Kinda odd for a Supergrass CD but, what the hey, maybe they are sprawling out a little more, maybe using extended codas and what have you.

Then I put the CD in and notice it is barely 35 minutes long. Still undeterred, I rationalize this as the band putting quality over quantity. Perhaps they are boldly sacrificing tracks that do not fit the tone of the overall work in order to make a more perfect whole.

Then I actually listen to the CD and I realize I have been completely fooling myself, and Supergrass has fooled me, as well. I can't believe I, the person who paid a big ol' chunk of change to import the "Supergrass is 10" DVD, have to declare this album is damn near entirely worthless.

Now, I'm one of the few people who loved the balance the band maintained on their untitled album between crazed-out rockers and longer, more introspective pieces. I had no problem there. The problem with "Road to Rouen", however, is that these tracks are entirely unremarkable, except that they are uniformly boring. The mood throughout the album is one of bored noodling--the band can't even eek out "somber" or "introspective" on this slagheap o' tracks.

Not even "Coffee in the Pot", a strange little bit not entirely unlike "Intermission" from Blur's "Country Life is Rubbish" ,can be bothered to be genuinely bouncy or even humorous. Aside from the band occassionally barking "Hey!" in the background, the track just ambles along for a couple of minutes before we're into our next electric-piano-driven dirge.

It's almost as if the band was trying to channel "Wish You Were Here"-era Pink Floyd but did not have anything to say (nor do they have any memorable tunes, apparently).

Bad bad bad. I'll give any future Supergrass releases serious consideration before buying.

[alternachild]

I don't think I can take the review seriously. I don't know...I just can't. "Roxy" is one of the greatest songs they've ever done. "St. Petersburg", as a single, goes beyond what anyone would pigeonhole Supergrass to do. On the Main Music thread for this album, several people seem to understand that they can't do silly, goofy songs--no matter how masterful--for five albums. It's like saying that songs like "Late in the Day", "Mary", and several others, slow down an album instead of making it more exciting. Of course, now we have an album almost entirely comprised of slower songs. It's surely doesn't bring me down though. They've done something a little different on each album. At some point, a band needs to take a leap from what people expect from them, and this album is it. I'm anxious to see what they do with these Road to Rouen songs during their live show. Mixed with all their old "classics", it should sound like a perfectly balanced Supergrass show. I'm happy they have not decided to rehash anything. Now, based on a particular lyric in a song on Road to Rouen, if "Kiss of Life" would have gotten better reception, you might have had yourself a dancy, electro response for a fifth album...

[Bubba McBubba]

We each have our own (conflicting) opinions on this album, and I don't think either of us could change the other person's mind; however, I have to ask you this: while you mentioned St. Petersburg and Roxy (which, along w/ Coffee in the Pot I'll agree are the relative high points of the album), didn't you feel there was an air of mediocrity--perhaps even tedium--to the opener Tales of Endurance?

In the final stretch of Road to Rouen, Kick in the Teeth, Low C and Fin, isn't it difficult to tell if there have even been track changes? I mean, unless I really pay attention, the album is just one big lump of sameness w/ only the slightest changes in tempo and style (namely, in the aforementioned "highlights").

At the very least, didn't you feel kinda ripped-off getting only 9 tracks that add up to a fairly brief running time?

Not trying to pick a fight here or anything, but am genuinely curious.

[shivui]

well, i'm not as disappointed or upset as you bubba, but i will agree that it is boring. i listened to it again today and it's getting better, but it's still not anywhere near what i've heard from them in the past. i would take their often bashed supergrass album over this one. i can't believe it got almost five stars from allmusic.com (same as all their others excluding s/t). i don't necessarily feel ripped off as i feel i spent way too much money to get it. and yes i think tales of endurance is tedious. probably one of if not the worst track on the album.

i was expecting more, but i still like it a bit. i'm not sure if it'd make top 10 of '05