Artist: Jarvis Cocker
Album: Further Complications
Year: 2009
Grade: 4 pretzels
Few people can write one-liners as well as Jarvis Cocker. The former Pulp frontman has made a career out of his exquisite lyrical skills, blending a seedy sense of self-deprecation with an exacting eye for social commentary. Even though Pulp disbanded years ago, Cocker has made sure that his skewed genius never fades away. He may not be the pop star he was back in the 90s, but he’s got more than enough fans to pursue a solo career, pandering to his converted cult audience, of which I am a card-carrying member. However, on Further Complications, Jarvis is throwing his fans a bit of a curveball and hoping they still manage to connect with it.
Cocker’s first solo album, 2007’s Jarvis, should have warned us loyal Jarvis-heads that a change was coming. At the ripe old age of 43, Cocker decided to move away from the lush, extravagant sound that made him famous in Pulp and strip things down to a much more solid rock base. In that sense, he’s essentially following the exact same career path as Morrissey. Further Complications, however, lives up to its title by taking us farther down that path than anyone expected Jarvis to ever go. Recording with the omnipresent Steve Albini (who seems to be making a lot of appearances on this blog lately), Cocker has created an album of loose, almost too casual rock.
Albini’s presence is felt strongly on the opening one-two of the title track and “Angela”. Both radically reinvent the style we’ve all come to expect from Cocker. Dry, crisp and with Cocker’s voice straining at points, it’s a far looser sound than he’s ever recorded. Even the lyrics seem broader and less detailed than usual. Right from the start, it feels like Jarvis is telling us to expect the unexpected. Releasing “Angela” as the lead single is a bold move, especially since I, a diehard Jarvis fanatic, had no idea who recorded it when I first heard it. Jarvis Cocker, garage rocker? Could it be?
Well, not so much. In many ways, Further Complications is a tale of two albums. The middle section is filled with a handful of songs much more in line with what Cocker’s audience expects from him. “Leftovers” is yet another guy-loves-girl-but-has-inadequacy-issues song, something that Jarvis has written at least two dozen times before (this one does feature the glorious opening line “I met her in the museum of paleontology and I make no bones about it”). Oddly, this is the section of the album that sounds the weakest. Albini’s raw production does little to change these songs. They simply sound like stuff Jarvis could have (and probably did) write in his sleep.
Thankfully, Cocker brings us back around with the startlingly awesome “Fuckingsong”, a crunchy anthem in which Jarvis writes about his usual subjects (women, sex or his lack thereof) with a newfound immediacy to match the music. Opening with the stellar line “I know I’ll never touch you, so I wrote this song instead,” this is a new Jarvis that I can wholeheartedly support. Finally, the album closes with two surprisingly lovely songs, both of which push well past six minutes. Albini gives “Slush” a slow-burning grandeur to match Cocker’s tale of romance (best lyric: “If I could, I would refrigerate this moment”), before the understated “You’re In My Eyes (Discosong)” closes the album on a suitably old-school Jarvis moment. The album may be inconsistent, but when he’s on, few can compete with Jarvis Cocker. Partnering with Albini for Further Complications has both pros and cons, but the album is an impressive (if not slightly frustrating) reinvention for one of the smartest, most individual pop singers still around.
Cocker’s first solo album, 2007’s Jarvis, should have warned us loyal Jarvis-heads that a change was coming. At the ripe old age of 43, Cocker decided to move away from the lush, extravagant sound that made him famous in Pulp and strip things down to a much more solid rock base. In that sense, he’s essentially following the exact same career path as Morrissey. Further Complications, however, lives up to its title by taking us farther down that path than anyone expected Jarvis to ever go. Recording with the omnipresent Steve Albini (who seems to be making a lot of appearances on this blog lately), Cocker has created an album of loose, almost too casual rock.
Albini’s presence is felt strongly on the opening one-two of the title track and “Angela”. Both radically reinvent the style we’ve all come to expect from Cocker. Dry, crisp and with Cocker’s voice straining at points, it’s a far looser sound than he’s ever recorded. Even the lyrics seem broader and less detailed than usual. Right from the start, it feels like Jarvis is telling us to expect the unexpected. Releasing “Angela” as the lead single is a bold move, especially since I, a diehard Jarvis fanatic, had no idea who recorded it when I first heard it. Jarvis Cocker, garage rocker? Could it be?
Well, not so much. In many ways, Further Complications is a tale of two albums. The middle section is filled with a handful of songs much more in line with what Cocker’s audience expects from him. “Leftovers” is yet another guy-loves-girl-but-has-inadequacy-issues song, something that Jarvis has written at least two dozen times before (this one does feature the glorious opening line “I met her in the museum of paleontology and I make no bones about it”). Oddly, this is the section of the album that sounds the weakest. Albini’s raw production does little to change these songs. They simply sound like stuff Jarvis could have (and probably did) write in his sleep.
Thankfully, Cocker brings us back around with the startlingly awesome “Fuckingsong”, a crunchy anthem in which Jarvis writes about his usual subjects (women, sex or his lack thereof) with a newfound immediacy to match the music. Opening with the stellar line “I know I’ll never touch you, so I wrote this song instead,” this is a new Jarvis that I can wholeheartedly support. Finally, the album closes with two surprisingly lovely songs, both of which push well past six minutes. Albini gives “Slush” a slow-burning grandeur to match Cocker’s tale of romance (best lyric: “If I could, I would refrigerate this moment”), before the understated “You’re In My Eyes (Discosong)” closes the album on a suitably old-school Jarvis moment. The album may be inconsistent, but when he’s on, few can compete with Jarvis Cocker. Partnering with Albini for Further Complications has both pros and cons, but the album is an impressive (if not slightly frustrating) reinvention for one of the smartest, most individual pop singers still around.
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