Know those albums you can throw in your car stereo and drive till dawn? Know those albums where choosing your favorite song is almost impossible? Know those albums you really want to play when you have a party?

Enter the underrated limey English gloaks, Supergrass.

These guys know their way around a hook better than Oprah's navigation skills at the buffet bar. These cheeky lads sound absolutely nothing like their revered peers, Radiohead, but like them, Supergrass delves into music's strip-mine of style while retaining their own flair. The latest album, Supergrass (1999), is audio proof.

Everyone ages, but Supergrass keeps people young in spirit — having fun, feeling all good. That sounds like a corny soda commercial but it's true. While the band's previous albums, I Should Coco (1995) and In it for the Money (1997) got annoyingly chirpy in parts, Supergrass's maturity shines through life's dark maelstrom clouds as the lads address issues threatening to their good times (lethargy, religion, homesickness).

Singer/guitarist Gaz Coombes' voice is on the brink of cracking on just about every song, particularly the uplifting opener, "Moving." Pounding pianos and bottomless bass hooks leap into and through listeners' ears after Coombes' minute-long vocal solo. On any other album, it'd be a tough act to follow but the jazzy groove and grungy splash of "Your Love" demands at least a download.

Every song has its own niche, setting it apart from all others. The chilling "Mary" can illicit a cold shiver while the delectable "Jesus Came From Outta Space" gives a quick "gotcha" to the religious institutions of the world. The album's hand-clapping single, "Pumping on your Stereo" earned the band a weak rotation during MTV's late-hour video cycle but also landed them an opening gig for Pearl Jam's national tour in fall of 2000.

It also holds one of the best and cheesiest metaphors about life — "Life is a cigarette, you smoke to the end," Coombes sings.

The real gem on the album is the climaxing "Faraway." What "Eye of the Tiger" is to jocks, "Faraway" is to nerds like me. Bassist Mick Quinn takes over the vocals, reciting a poem refusing his concession to critics.

But pianist/organist Rob Coombes takes over the song with his racing keys over undertones of his brother Gaz's blotchy riffs. Quinn repeatedly drives home the inspiration as he sings, "I'll make a new start/ I don't know where to begin." All the while Gaz Coombes echoes underneath "cuz I don't believe/ in a life that I can't feel."

By the song's finé, running a marathon climbs the ladder of daily possibilities. Simply put, it's the premier close-your-eyes-and-believe-in-yourself song ever written since . . . well, "Eye of the Tiger."

The word "infectious" can be construed as derogatory, but that's the best word to describe Supergrass. But if this isn't your type of disease, go bathe in an uncomfortable silence to wash away the mysterious fun of Supergrass.