Supergrass

Although Supergrass (on tour with Foo Fighters and Year Long Disaster) sprang from the early-'90s British invasion period, the group never conquered much territory in the U.S. — and it's tough to figure out why. All of the albums to date by the Coombes brothers, Gaz and Rob, and their assorted brethren have been hook-laden and melodic, with just enough rock raucousness to prevent their efforts from ossifying. True, their latest recording, Diamond Hoo Ha, doesn't qualify as their finest; that honor probably should go to 1997's In It for the Money, but it's a close call. Nonetheless, any disc that kicks off with a song ("Diamond Hoo Ha Man") featuring a declaration of "Bite me!" followed immediately by a crushing guitar riff can't be entirely discounted, and even lesser material such as "Rough Knuckles" eventually leaves a mark. When it comes to Supergrass, invasion is to be welcomed, not feared.