Maturity is a tricky thing for pop stars. There’s nothing more ridiculous than a middle-aged, culturally relevant millionaire spouting verses about teenage romance and frustrated lust. But on the other hand, you don’t really want to hear the idols of your youth opining on tax strategies and expensive schooling options for their offspring. Jarvis Cocker, here in his first album as Pulp in a quarter century, navigates this difficulty with skill. He still oozes rock star charisma (“I was born to perform/It’s a calling/I exist to do this/Shouting and pointing” from “Spike Island”) while also acknowledging a different phase of life.
Category: Pulp
Pulp :: His ‘n’ Hers
There are a number of stories of artists that took the long road to commercial success, but the story of Pulp is an especially curious one. This is a band that spent significant time in the artistic wilderness — nearly 15 years. And then, suddenly, one album permanently set them into the firmament of Britpop elder statesmen – Blur, Oasis, and Suede in particular. That album, His n Hers, turns 25 today, and its sharp, calculated fission of a decade and a half’s worth of preparation still sounds like a chart-topping album, albeit one from some alternate timeline where some very different things happened in terms of commercial music.
Pulp :: This Is Hardcore
An audacious choice as a single based on running time alone, the title track from Pulp’s 1998 album made an equally brazen choice for video. This is Hardcore , the album, is more than […]
Jarvis Cocker :: Further Complications
When Jarvis Cocker first called a hiatus, if not an end, to the band he had fronted for 20 years, it was hard to imagine what else a solo Jarvis could sound […]
