Release Date : September 27, 2005
Reviewed By: Roy Opochinski

After the release of last year’s sublime set, Supergrass Is 10: Best of 94-04, fans of the band wondered about which track the group would take as it moved into another decade together. (And yes, before you send emails, the band was formed in 1993.)

If their new album, Road to Rouen is any indication, the group is moving steadily into middle age, growing tighter, and feeling confident about their abilities.

While it’s unfair to generalize about the future of a band after listening to their latest album, it is not unfair to call their latest a disappointment. The opening track, “Tales of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 & 6)” is aptly titled because fans of the band might find it difficult to get through the disc without cringing more than a few times.

Though the occasional gems like the Beatles-esque “St. Petersburg” and Fin show that the band has not forgotten how to craft masterful tracks, the goodwill built by those songs disintegrates when one is forced to listen to the throwaway “Coffee In the Pot” and the overlong, seemingly-experimental “Roxy” that quickly finds itself veering into opsychedelia.

The weaknesses of the disc are highlighted even more dramatically when one listens to the title track, which is engaging and compelling, and the gently meandering “Low C.” But even those tracks cannot overcome weak links like “Kick In The Teeth” which is overproduced and underwhelming.

Road to Rouen might not be Supergrass’, well, road to ruin, but it is definitely a path that the probably should not revisit in the future if continued success is their ultimate destination.