Day 0854 - In it for the Money

Supergrass "In it for the Money" (1997)

The "difficult second album" and yet I would say this is easily Supergrass' best (of what I've heard).   They developed naturally from their cheeky and often whimsical pop-rock of debut "I Should Coco" and bring a more mature sound.

The self-titled track opens with an almost sinister tone that rises up to a chant of the title and a catchy rock song.  "Richard III" likewise opens with a sinister 'devil's interval' before Gaz Coombes gives a peppy 'whoo' that launches a rock riff that is excellent in its simplicity.   A couple of tracks later things slow down and show the band's increasing maturity.  The moody, acoustic "Late in the Day" may get a bit bouncier in the choruses (mirrored in the pogo-sticking music video) but is still somewhat contemplative.

Much of the rest is just catchy and enjoyable, with single "Going out" being a remaining nod to their lighter hearted debut.   The album finishes on an interesting note, with the pop-jazz feel of "Hollow little reign" and album closer "Sometimes I make you sad" which could almost be described as 'vaudeville techno' with a crazy speedy guitar solo partway through.

Brilliant album and I'm not quite sure why I don't own a copy.

Day 0524 - Hearts and Bones

Paul Simon "Hearts and Bones" (1983)

Following a decline in his popularity as a solo artist, Simon reunited with Garfunkel for some successful shows.  The two of them started working on a new S&G album, but all the old arguments flared up and they broke up again.  Paul chucked Art's songs and worked some of his into a new solo album.

At the time of its release, this album didn't fare much better commercially than his recent releases, though it seems to have been reassessed with hindsight.  To me it shows hints of his next (much more successful) solo album Graceland, in that it has a good bit of groove to it and the quite '80s' sounding production.  In places, the synth laden grooves even sound a bit like that good 70s era Stevie Wonder.

It's a bit of a mixed bag, and I'd argue that the more straight-ahead mellow tracks are still his strength, such as the sombre "the late great Johnny Ace", his tribute to John Lennon.  That being said, the peppy "Cars are cars" is a fun little song, regardless of its slightly so-so lyrics.