So, on the 6th of June – and after two pre-release singles and a mountain of media hype – the new Pulp album ‘More’ dropped.
The Tracks
Track Listing
- Spike Island (4:42)
- Tina (3:32)
- Grown Ups (5:56)
- Slow Jam (5:06)
- Farmers Market (4:30)
- My Sex (4:25)
- Got to Have Love (4:52)
- Background Noise (3:41)
- Partial Eclipse (4:38)
- The Hymn of the North (5:40)
- A Sunset (3:14)
It’s interesting to note that while Different Class had an average track length of around four and third minutes, More has only slipped slightly to an average length of about four and a half minutes. Other groups should probably take note.
Spike Island (4:42)
The universe shrugged, shrugged, then moved on
(Also vaguely blogged about here)
It’s obvious why Spike Island was chosen as the first single; it’s a lovely mix of poppy tune overlaid with lyrics discussing needs, lost opportunities and regrets – it’s the kind of song that Pulp has, traditionally, done very well with and does do very well with here.
Tina (3:32)
Scenes from a marriage that never took place
Although I did once buy a ring
Part of the problem I have with Tina is that I really dislike the name ‘Tina’ – so, somewhat irrationally, track two starts out with a bit of a disadvantage.
And it’s one that Tina fails to overcome – this is a Pulp-style story of a man obsessing, possibly to the point of stalking, a woman called Tina. We’ve seen this done before, done less creepily, and done better with Disco 2000.
Nice strings tho’.
Grown Ups (5:56)
And life’s too short to drink bad wine and that’s frightening
Growing up is hard to do and sometimes the adult skinsuit is hard to slide into (and that’s one for pseuds corner!). Pulp have often sung about the difficulties of various transitions and track three revisits this theme with a long (by Pulp’s standard) some about growing up and aging and not only just how difficult it can be to pretend to be the functional adult we’re all expected to be but also the horror of your time counting down. The chorus, especially, feels destined to become one of those ear-worms that strikes at 4am on a seemingly unending night.
Slow Jam (5:06)
You, me, and my imagination
While Tina gave us the relationship that never existed, Slow Jam gives us the relationship that’s in the process of dying. A lovely, laid-back beat is paired with a set of increasingly desperate lyrics recounting the death of a relationship and the bed-death that comes with it.
Farmers Market (4:30)
Now I stalk the labyrinth of my own myth
The end of a relationship usually begets the start of a new one and Farmers Market provides this. Another laid back track with an almost Nick Cave-esque feel in places, it follows our unnamed protagonist, older and somewhat trapped within his life an myth, as he takes a risk and meets someone new.
My Sex (4:25)
Spoken of in whispers behind closed doors
A funky beat and a song about (possibly?) masturbation. My Sex is, oddly, possibly the most filler-ish track of ‘More’. Whilst My Sex not a track that’s a natural skip, it’s also not a track that’s a natural skip-to.
Got to Have Love (4:52)
Without love, you’re just making a fool of yourself
(Also vaguely blogged about here)
The album’s second single, the disco-enthused Got to Have Love covers the well trod ground of love being worth the risks of searching for it. The reasonably quick paced beat helps to smooth over the somewhat repetitive nature of the chorus, leaving a good but fundamentally flighty track. The spelling out of L-O-V-E is an explicit call back to F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. and that’s probably a mistake as F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. covers both approximately the same ground and is also measurably better.
Background Noise (3:41)
It’s only real if you don’t know where you’re going
Background Noise, the eighth track on More, is the second track to cover the effects of a breakup and the sudden disappearance of love from the singers life. And, unfortunately, it’s nowhere near as good as the earlier Slow Jam. It’s not a bad track, it’s just that everything it seemingly sets out to do is better covered by Slow Jam.
Partial Eclipse (4:38)
Repulsion becomes attraction
And track nine brings unfulfilled desire and being trapped in a place where fulfilment is unlikely to be possible. Unlike Tina, the protagonist of Partial Eclipse fall firmly on the longing and regret – rather than obsession – side of this unconsummated relationship. It’s also another track with some lovely string work.
The Hymn of the North (5:40)
So don’t forget your northern blood
34 years ago The KLF ended the music video for It’s Grim Up North to the sounds of Jerusalem and a scrolling message – ‘The North Shall Rise Again’, a thousand year old sentiment that been repeatedly wished for since the dark days of The Harrying. The Hymn of the North slots into this long tradition, a call in the form of a soulful ballad for the (northern) listener not to be destroyed by their current circumstances, to find something for themselves, and to not loose sight of the North – both physically and metaphorically – and to keep in touch with who they are. The Hymn of the North is also (along with A Sunset) the least inwardly focused track of the album; there’s no discussion of personal love – lost or found – that cuts through the majority of the rest of the album.
A Sunset (3:14)
I like to feast my eyes
A Sunset is probably the closest thing that More has to a b-side, indeed it would probably have worked rather better as a b-side. A little lament against the commodification of natural beauty, it feels a little undercooked, almost as if it needs another go around or two. The theory is good but the practice has the feel of late Sunday night homework that’s due in the first thing on Monday.
A crude ranking
- Slow Jam
- The Hymn of the North
- Farmers Market
- Got to Have Love
- Spike Island
- Partial Eclipse
- Grown Ups
- Background Noise
- My Sex
- A Sunset
- Tina
And Finally…
More makes for a good listen and – for those of us who shelled out cash as well as free time – is worth the money. Beyond that? For the majority of listeners the platonic ideal of a Pulp album is going to be 1995’s Different Class. Is More going to dislodge this? No, for a number of reasons. It’s a far more introverted piece, dwelling possibly too much on Cocker’s past love life. It’s also far more downbeat and slower paced (something often mistaken for maturity).
And the final reason?
Well, that’s simple – you’re not fifteen anymore…