'Superfood' - Don't Say That

Superfood bring a melodic, rhythmic, guitar-driven instant classic to the table and should be the biggest band in the UK because of it.

The British music scene, on a popular scale, has been in the toilet since the hype around Arctic Monkeys died just after their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare. That was the death of a minor resurgence of Indie. Even on an underground scale there hasn't been anything worth shouting about. Grime was the biggest non-event of any underground "movement" possibly ever, electronic music hasn't been seen since The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy and Pop music is best left out. It has all gotten very USA.

Recently, Indie bands such as Temples (psychedelic), Peace (proper indie) and Palma Violets (post-punk) have threatened with Radio1 plays but released albums of the 6/10 variety. On the electronic front Disclosure came out of nowhere with a modern House album that punches above the others but fails to tip anything over the edge. More left-field we have Sleaford Mods and The Fat White Family. The former offer a, lo-fi, mostly drums and bass instrumental package with witty, observational lyrics that comment on everyday social occurrences and Britain's current political abomination, where-as the Fat White's bring a dark, twisted melting pot both lyrically and instrumentally. see "Divide and Exit" and "Champagne Holocaust" for more details. 

It may not be a goal of either band to become huge but even though Sleaford Mods and The Fat White Family offer something fresh, neither will threaten the charts. Neither will threaten the cretinous popular Radio1 DJ's, the corporate news channels or create a viral video to gain internet fame. 

What they lack is sugar. 

When speaking about "Imagine" John Lennon said it was a sugar-coated version of tracks like "Working Class Hero" and "Mother", both of which were banned by various radio stations.

Through every minute of their debut album "Don't Say That", Superfood rock a bittersweet sound with enough grit and melody to be a Rock n Roll band and enough grooves to keep you listening again and again.

Starting with the rhythm section. The beats and basslines on this album are the grooviest a British group have conjured up since The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses. The opener "Lily For Your Pad To Rest On" sounds familiar to the melody on Carole Kings "It's too Late" yet comes in just after the 20 second mark leaving it standing on it's own two feet. Title-track "Don't Say That" has a striking up-stroking guitar intro, which combined with the menacing, ascending double bass hits, provides the track with a quirky, dark feeling. The Beck-like break-beats on both "Superfood" and "It's Good To See You" are nasty. Overall the drumming has your toe tapping, a feat most Brit-Pop groups provided at the peak of their short-lived abilities.

The rhythm section on nearly every track allows the melodies, harmonies and Graham Coxon-eque guitar work space to breath and layer these well written songs.

Melodically, "You Can Believe", "Mood Bomb", "Like a Daisy" and "Melting" are flawless. Summers day, blissful, sugar-coated, Rock n Roll stomping, flawless.

The harmonies feature perfectly in the songs' seamless melodic transitions, with under-stated hooks rising to the surface with every listen. That as well as the few chorus and verse harmonies which help drive the album along are full of the sugar-coated bliss that makes one drool over "Superfood".

The guitar work completes the set of what makes this album stand-out. "TV" cranks up the distortion to a point where it nearly breaks the threshold of what lies between classic, British Rock n Roll and modern grunge-inspired rock music. However this a rare moment where they do so. Most of the notable guitar work comes from the layering, with guitar lines weaving around the melody just like the harmonies.

All of these elements and layers make up one jaw-dropping Rock n Roll album. 

Lyrically Superfood don't bring much of a social or political comment to the table but do push some quirky/thought-provoking lines and ideas, "You're melting away, ware yourself out" from "Melting" is one example whereas the track "Mood Bomb" takes a simplistic look at going from feeling down to feeling good by forcing yourself.

Even the short seg-ways - "i" and "ii" bring some variety, with the former featuring what sounds like a Mellotron, reminiscent of "Strawberry Fields Forever".

In my opinion this is the most exciting, well-rounded album a British band have produced in a long time. This band are a breath of fresh air and the Radio/Music Channels should be taking a chance on them. This fixed into the top 40 would be akin to The Smiths playing "This Charming Man" for the first time on Top of the Pops. That sparked the first wave of Indie music in the charts, this has the ability to spark the next one, or it would if given the chance.

'Don't Say That' - Instant Classic