Supergrass: Life On Other Planets (2002)

My Britpop bona fides are definitely NOT in order. I can't say I spent much time with the bands that fall under this broad genre umbrella back in the 90s (and, for that matter, I'm not sure what exactly counts as "Britpop" in the first place). Sure, Oasis was all over the radio; I picked up that Pulp album because I loved the "Common People" single, bought a little Blur. But most of it passed me by, though I've accumulated a fair amount in the years since.

Supergrass was not a band I was familiar with during their initial heyday. Yeah, I knew "Alright," though mainly from movies and tv commercials; "I'd Like To Know" is something I'm sure I heard at the time, even if I couldn't place the band. But that's about it. But I've circled back, and they've come to be a personal favorite. A nice blend of the sounds of Oasis and other peers I associate with the scene, but also a powerful dose of T.Rex-styled glam. Frankly, a lot of their music just feels a lot more fun than some of the more ponderous efforts out there.

While I love the first couple albums, I'm partial to their middle period work, 1999's self-titled third album and particularly 2002's Life On Other Planets.  They sand off some of the more frenetic and distorted sounds of earlier work, leaving just the shimmering pop and glam.

Now, I haven't gone back and read up on the band. Were they big in the UK? Critically loved or reviled or neither? Which of their albums are we "supposed" to prefer? I'm flying blind here, stuck with "I like what I like" -- and I really like this one. (Actually, I enjoy most of their work, though I'm not big on their final album, which sounds more like generic alt.rock to me.) 

Here's "Grace":

 ...and "Seen The Light":

...and a live take on "Brecon Beacons: