Album of the Day

"The Grey Lantern is like a comic-book hero - the album is about this village of people with really disgusting morals and the Grey Lantern sorts them out," notes singer-songwriter Paul Draper of his band Mansun's striking 1997 debut. Released at the tail end of the Brit-pop era, ATTACK OF THE GREY LANTERN had that music's punchy, melodic appeal, the ambition of progressive rock (even if it's not a full-fledged concept album) and a touch of glam's dark decadence. From "Wide Open Space" (a modest Modern Rock hit in the U.S.) to the Beatle-esque "Taxloss" to the John Barry-esque "The Chad Who Loved Me," the collection's memorable songs drew near-universal acclaim from England's music mags and pushed the set to the top of its album chart. Mansun's debut is both audacious and seductive – listeners can't help but surrender to ATTACK OF THE GREY LANTERN.