Thirty-six minutes and 37 seconds isn't a whole lot of time to pack a quality album into, but Supergrass pulls it off. The British band's latest effort, Road to Rouen is an elegant mishmash of crunchy guitar, gentle strings and atmospheric sound effects. The final product is a mature and haunting album that redefines Supergrass' sound.

The album begins with "Tales of Endurance" (Parts 4,5 & 6), a beautifully lush track that may be the best on the album. The song has several different phases that range from sparse and moody acoustic guitar to heavier rock, all held together by a simple and persistent melody. At five minutes and 57 seconds, this song takes up a decent portion of the nine-track album, but it is definitely worth devoting the time to.

The majority of Road to Rouen strays from what is considered the "typical" Supergrass sound. The band formed in Cambridge, England in the early 1990s and found fame as part of the "Britpop revival" that included bands like Blur, Elastica and Oasis. The band's debut, 1995's I Should Coco, was a wildly energetic feel-good album that was a stark contrast to the post-grunge sounds that were dominating American music at the time.

There is little on Road to Rouen to suggest the band's reputation for producing upbeat pop tracks. While the album is never whiny or depressing, it takes itself pretty seriously. This would be a bad thing if the songs weren't any good, but they are — so it's a good thing. The tracks are contemplative and mature, suggesting that the band has grown in leaps and bounds since their emergence in the mid-1990s.

This growth seems to be the result of a tumultuous period that the band says provided a lot of inspiration for the album. The band broke up briefly in 2004 and brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes went through the death of their mother. At the same time, Gaz Coombes experienced the birth of his daughter, making it indeed the best of times and the worst of times.

All of this emotion is present on the album, but the magic of Road to Rouen is in its subtlety. The band isn't trying to hit listeners over the head with their sound or the message of their music. This album is, in fact, quite subjective and lends itself well to different moods and emotions. It's easy to connect the songs to various memories, even if you're hearing them for the very first time.

Critics may say that this subjectivity is a result of the fact that none of the songs are super catchy, or even very memorable. In a way, this is true. It's difficult to recall particular tracks after they're over. Rather, the whole album seems to melt into one long, dreamy track.

This is not to say that there aren't standouts. "St. Petersburg" is a melancholy tale of regret that you can still tap your feet to. "Roxy" is an epic, seven-minute mix of strings and electric guitar that alternates between hushed whispers and heavy drums. "Coffee in the Pot" is a delightful little instrumental homage to the Django Reinhardt-esque guitar sound of the European jazz scene of the early 20th century.

Road to Rouen puts the diversity of Supergrass' sound on full display. Although the band doesn't sound like anyone in particular, there are touches of The Kinks, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin and John Lennon. What's great about Supergrass is that they take all of these influences and make the sound their own. Each track is fresh and surprising, which is more than can be said for more mainstream British bands like Coldplay.

There is not a single song on the album that fails to impress. It's accessible for listeners who may not have heard Supergrass before, and those who have will probably find themselves impressed by the band's new direction. Although Road to Rouen lacks a definitive superstar track, listeners who are willing to put in the brief time it takes to listen to the entire album will be impressed.

Grade: AB