Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern (Half-Speed Master)

A brilliant hybrid of cinematic Art Rock invention and soaring melodies, Attack Of The Grey Lantern reached number 1 in the UK charts on its release. The second wave of Britpop introduced various bands of dubious merit – but Mansun were one of its genuine successes. Mansun had a thing for the more cerebral end of post-punk (Magazine), a whole heap of Bowie and Prince, and a disarming tendency to wander into the great proggy beyond. The 1997 debut Attack of the Grey Lantern was even trumpeted as that most progressive of indulgences – the concept album. One in which singer Paul Draper, in the guise of superhero The Grey Lantern, exorcised the inhabitants of a small English village from their life of wanton depravity. It was all done with tongue firmly wedged in cheek, of course. Mansun's opulent pop songs made merry with the likes of Penelope Cheapskate, Albert Taxloss, Dark Mavis, and a lusty vicar with an S&M obsession.