REVIEW: Pulp, This Is Hardcore (Island)
- Simon West
Once there was bright upbeat pop, kitchen sink dramas and sex-soaked vignettes, lingerie and underwear.
And then it all went dark.
"This is the sound of someone losing the plot," moans Jarvis Cocker on "The Fear", a disturbing, atmospheric account of a panic attack. "The sound of loneliness turned up to 10." Compare this with the last album's opener "Misshapes", an upbeat rallying call to the alienated and uncool of the world, and it becomes immediately apparent that we're in vastly different territory here. A staccato blast of feedback five minutes later, and the mood becomes reflective and vulnerable. "Dishes" sees Jarvis examining his life at the age of 33 - "I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials/I am the man who stays at home and does the dishes." "Party Hard", with its distorted Bowie-esque vocal and rattling guitar, is more lively, but not much brighter, looking at the party scene and asking "Why do we have to half kill ourselves just to prove we're alive?" The first British single "Help The Aged", up next, actually sounds upbeat by comparison.
The title track, just released as a single, is an astonishing six and a half minute epic. It's life in a porno film, it's brutal, dramatic, haunting. Sod "Boogie Nights" - this belongs on a soundtrack with Soft Cell's "Baby Doll" - the darker, sadder side of sex. It's one of the most unlikely singles ever - the fact that it entered the British charts at number 12 is more a testament to Pulp's core fan base than anything else. Utterly bleak, but an absolute masterpiece. It's followed up with the rather lightweight "TV Movie", and then the mood begins to brighten somewhat.
Much of the second half of the album stands in stark contrast to the first half. There's still a vulnerable, more personal aspect to the lyrics than before, but it's nowhere near as dark. "A Little Soul" is a jangly pop affair with a touch of Cure guitar and, indeed, a little soul, plus one of yer Jarvis talky bits. "I'm A Man" is as close as we get to Different Class, a sardonic reflection on what it is to be a man. "Seductive Barry" is an atmospheric, almost ambient seduction fantasy, a crooning, growling Jarvis complemented by Neneh Cherry on backing vocals. "Sylvia" is terrific, a classic Jarvis girl song a la "Pink Glove" and "Do You Remember The First Time" with some distinctly un Pulp-like guitar action.
The final two tracks are as good as anything Pulp have ever done. "Glory Days" is pure brilliant pop, Jarvis explaining that "I could be a genius/If I just put my mind to it", and exhorting "Make it up yourself/You don't need anybody else". Irresistible chorus, good double-tracked vocal bits, it's a classic, begging to be sung along to. "The Day After The Revolution" sounds almost hopeful and optimistic, a sweeping epic that looks to the future: "We are the children of the new world," and ends with a spoken "Bye bye" that invites speculation about Pulp's future, given recent interviews. The U.S. release contains a bonus track, "Like A Friend" from the Great Expectations soundtrack. A more typical Pulp tune distinguished by a radical tempo change mid-song, it's a little out of place at the end of This Is Hardcore, and would have worked better as a b-side or a single in its own right.
Fans converted by the likes of "Common People" and "Disco 2000" are unlikely to be delighted by This Is Hardcore. It's nowhere near as accessible as Different Class or even 1994's His 'N' Hers. The voyeurism and heavy breathing have been replaced by a world-weariness and despair, though this lightens somewhat by the end. It's a demanding album, but well worth the effort. This Is Hardcore is dark, complicated - and absolutely terrific.
