SLOAN /// A SIDES WIN /// KOCH MUSIC ///
	SUPERGRASS /// ROAD TO ROUEN /// CAPITOL RECORDS ///
	SUPER FURRY ANIMALS /// LOVE KRAFT /// XL RECORDINGS ///

Critical acclaim won't pay the bills, and a cult following won't sign the checks. In fact, I'm sure that cult following doesn't even own a checkbook. Yet, every time you read about Supergrass, the Super Furry Animals, and Sloan, the article or review makes mention of their special status as if struggling stateside was a badge of honor, something that these bands have worked years to achieve. Sloan is huge in Canada, but they couldn't be happier about being semi-obscure in America! The Super Furry Animals are one of the most innovative bands in existence and even Paul McCartney loves them but they're just a tad too kooky for us. And Supergrass-man, they're like, adored in England, but over here...well, c'mon, have you seen them? They're not a very good-looking group of guys.

Generally speaking, every time the two aforementioned terms-critically acclaimed and cult following- are used, it means that there's a degree of inaccessibility involved and more energy will be required for the process of "getting it." Critics assume it will never catch on in the mainstream because there's a distinct, palpable ingredient that prevents the album or movie or book from being digested en masse. And in respect to all three of these bands, this could not be further from the truth; and labeling them as such reinforces an unfortunate and inaccurate handicap. Supergrass, Sloan, and the Super Furry Animals all write some of the most accessible music out there. If these bands don't sell well, it's because we're alienating them from the potential fans.

Nothing proves this more than Sloan's newest release, A Sides Win. The immensely enjoyable compilation is the first greatest hits package that the band has released in its fourteen years of existence. Consider that the Canadian foursome's individual albums are all hearty feasts of power pop; it should therefore come as no surprise that their singles collection acts as a rock 'n' roll schooling for the uninformed. Admiringly, the sixteen tracks are compiled in chronological order taking us through Sloan's development from eager Sonic Youth's fans to sincere Kiss emulators (and everything in between). "Money City Maniacs" is a classic rock hit written twenty years too late, and "If It Feels Good Do It" is an anthem destined for arenas. There's nothing "cult" about a band that could rock both your underwear and socks off.

Both Supergrass and the Super Furry Animals have recently released their greatest hit packages respectively entitled Supergrass is 10 and Songbook, making Road to Rouen and Love Kraft their first post-compilation releases. Ostensibly, both bands are starting from scratch and embark on Phase Two. The Super Furry Animals, the prolific Welsh collective, gets more interesting and progressive as time goes on. Their last proper album, Phantom Phorce, was accompanied by a DVD of animated videos for every song. For the tour behind Rings Around the World, SFA traveled with enormous 5.1 surround sound speakers to place around every venue. But now, with Super Furry Animals' seventh album, it seems the shtick is over as they sing," Lets get our shit together." Love Kraft, the first time all five members contribute to the songwriting process, is another notable step in their psychedelic pop journey, and despite the multiple contributors, this feels like their most consistent record yet. Songs like "Ohio Heat" and "Back On A Roll" are both charming acoustic clap-alongs; and "Psychlone!" and "Frequency" are harmony-heavy trips into violin city. While in the past the band has exploited those towering speakers as animals, this time they seem more interested in just being super.

Lastly, the Manchurian trio Supergrass began as sloppy and spirited upstarts, but developed into skilled and honed musicians as their careers progressed. They even have a pair of classic and quintessential British recordings under their belts (I Should Coco and In It For the Money), placing them in the rarest of categories: a Britpop band with longevity. And even though Gaz Coombes, Mickey Quinn, and Danny Geoffrey have matured as musicians, it doesn't necessarily mean they've matured as people. The first song off the new album, cheekily entitled "Tales of Endurance, Parts 4, 5, 6," starts off with an unprecedented casually strummed guitar and the accompanying piano of a once-hyper band now on Ritalin. Violins and flugelhorns swell aplenty suggesting a group that's developed a serene confidence in being a classic rock band in the year 2005. That's not to say they're stuck in the past; towards the end of the song, the 'Grass ventures into Franz riffing their amped guitar into "Take Me Out" territory. Serious rock with a wink pours throughout the album (on "Kick In The Teeth," Gaz asks, "does a kick in the teeth make it hard to smile?"), making Road to Rouen the path less traveled with the mix playing Frank Zappa, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Small Faces along the way.

Sloan, Supergrass and the Super Furry Animals once again give us proof that rock and roll never died. In fact, it's available to everyone. You just need to join the cult.

Arye Dworken