I have no problem comparing it to something like Who’s Next.
Since I played it to death, it might have lost impact but even then, I probably still would prefer 1998s This is Hardcore. If Class was the Saturday night party, Hardcore was the Sunday morning hangover.
Oh maybe I won’t proclaim it better, but I love it just as much.
Pulp had formed in 1978. It took until 1994 with His N Hers to even make a ripple in the US. Then it seemed a novelty. But being allowed to marinate, they really were able to make a timeless album.
In retrospect, it’s easy to see that the moment was gone by 2001s We Love Life. That CD never left my player. The band picked their hero Scott Walker to produce. Though, they will never eclipse the success of Different Class, I think this album was quite good. There are moments in that album that are some of the band’s best like “Bad Cover Version”.
Lest we forget, we were now in the era of The Strokes, the White Stripes and System of a Down. The time had now gone but I still loved that record. I hoped that we would get one more out of Jarvis.
I followed his every move post-Pulp and it was an unexpected path. While I never found his solo albums essential, they had moments. For example, “Don’t let him Waste your Time” is as good as anything he ever wrote. Within solo albums, soundtracks and unlikely pairings (like with Canadian producer Chilly Gonzalez) there is one album that I do hold in high regard.
2003s A Night With.. Relaxed Muscle almost got passed me but this electronica variation on what Pulp did best was a duo of Jarvis dba Darren Spooner and Jason Buckle of the All Seeing I (with Richard Hawley on a couple of tracks). None of the reviews seem to be positive but what a fun “lost album” it is. I am not sure where you can find it now but some of the songs have been uploaded to YouTube
I also think it’s worth mentioning Serafina Steer who was championed and produced by Cocker and has released some great music on her own, specifically 2013s The Moths Are Real. (Steer and Buckle are major cowriters and musicians in the Jarv Is project)
More is the new Pulp album we thought we may never get. Of interest, Gonzalez, Buckley, Hawley and Steer make appearances.
More feels a lot like their last album in that there’s quite a lot of what made Pulp great here. It’s not the beginning to end classic that Different Class was but it does feel like a solid listen.
“Tina” and “Got to Have Love” are immediate additions to any Pulp playlist- at once new but recognizable. But the B-side to the manic energy is the world weary Pulp which can be found on “My Sex” and closer “A Sunset”.
Overall, I have to say I am more than satisfied with the album. Of course, I want more and like the Pitchfork review of this disc, one can rhapsodize about Jarvis growing into a postmodern Leonard Cohen for the decades to come. But even if we don’t get it, it’s a nice addition to a splendid catalog.
