Pulp - We Love Life
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Free Music Notes for We Love Life
Free Music Review: A giant step forward for Pulp
Hit: 4 Stars
I first heard Pulp about five years ago when I bought the Trainspotting soundtrack (which includes Pulp's "Mile End"). I soon purchased "Different Class" and eventually "This Is Hardcore." Pulp's unique fusion of Morrissey desperation and early-Roxy Music retro art rock stylings put them head and shoulders above most of their high-profile British counterparts. With "We Love Life," however, they've pushed their abilities even further with a truly startling collection of songs. This album has a more organic, almost folky quality. It could be the presence of more acoustic guitars, or perhaps the use of strings. This is a lush-sounding album (courtesy of the legendary Scott Walker producing it) with a highly experimental feel. It sounds at times like Radiohead's "OK Computer." The lyrics seem to have strayed a bit from the old subject matter of sex and debauchery to...well, I don't know, it seems as if "nature" is a theme on this album. Go figure.
Some of my favorite tracks are "Weeds," "Trees" (there's that "nature" theme I was talking about) and the album's gorgeous centerpiece, "Wickerman," an 8-plus minute epic that recounts vocalist Jarvis Cocker's earlier memories of his hometown of Sheffield. His trademark "spoken" style is used here to chilling effect, and the music is both eerie and beautiful.
Make no mistake, this is definitely a Pulp album. Their usual style is still there at the core. But they've expanded their boundaries even further here. They should have no problems keeping their fan base, and may quite possibly expand it considerably with this release. Now all they need to do is tour the States!
Free Music Review: Pulp's "Kid A". A fusion of substance and style.
Hit: 4 Stars
Like most Pulp albums, "We Love Life" is a hard sell on the first few listens. Like "This Is Hardcore", it deals with very subjective themes, and takes a few listens to be fully appreciated. But when it hits home, you realize how good a band Pulp really is. Despite dismal sales, "This Is Hardcore" was a fantastic record, and showcased Pulp's versatility as a band, and Jarvis's talent at as a songwriter. The same qualities are here on "We Love Life", but they are done with a different style. The obvious theme is nature, and being natural. Jarvis has a very unique perspective about the world we live in, and shares it with us using his dry wit and craft for interesting lyrics. It is great to hear Jarvis again, and to hear Pulp do something different. Pulp albums are always more about substance over style, but neither is lacking on "We Love Life".
Sadly for those hoping, this is not "Different Class" standard. This is likely to put off some. But it is important to understand they Pulp were one of Britpop's front runners, and now with Britpop in the past, they must change with the times. Pulp are a band smart enough to understand the value of versatiility, rather than clinging to a sound that was stylish 7 years ago. This is not to say that "Different Class" has lost appeal, but that it often pays to experiment. "We Love Life" is their most daring record yet, and in that sense, their most accomplished. Not for everyone, but a great record for those who give it a chance.
Free Music Review: '...Just how sweet it could have been'
Hit: 4 Stars
One of the nicest things about Jarvis Cocker is that despite his phenomenal success, he appears so unsullied by it. Of course, the kinds of things he has to say have changed, or at least shifted in their perspective, but he has not acquired the ego problem one might have expected. He knew when to let go. Five years after Pulp's commercial hey-day, this new record appears to have no concern with the singles chart. And that's nice. Like This is Hardcore from 1998, We Love Life is an adult record, a slow-burner that it takes some commitment to get to know, like and maybe love. Much of the writing covers ground only a more mature audience will understand (a 16 year-old may think he gets 'Wickerman', but just wait 'til he doubles in age), and the musical texture of the record has ripened with the help of Scott Walker producing.
That's not to say it's fuddy-duddy, by any means. Cocker has not turned into Sting overnight. His combination of acerbic wit and sensitivity is still endearing, and there are some neat gags (including a nice one about the producer on 'Bad Cover Version') and simple love songs ('The Birds in your Garden').
One can't help feeling though, that like on This is Hardcore, Pulp is a creative force that has a habit of directing its energies in the wrong places. Not that it's against any rule to kick off the album with a song about asylum seekers, but it does make the record struggle to cohere. If it fails, it does so because it lacks direction and consistency, and stops just short of being the richer experience it promises to be. It doesn't fail on an absence of talent.
Free Music Review: poptacular!
Hit: 5 Stars
this album blows me away with every listen! pulp takes a slightly different direction musically, though the subject matter is classic pulp, it's still wildly fun, emotional and imaginative lyrics...Wickerman is pure genius - it's over 8 minutes long but you'll hardly realize it being a captivating song the whole way through! Weeds Pts. 1 & 2 take on several meanings with a foot-stomping beat on Weeds Pt. 1 and a sexy groove on Weeds Pt. 2...I Love Life is an intense song with great dynamics - soft at first and then heavy guitars later....the album flows very well and it's a multi-emotional album that ends with an uplifting feeling!Free Music Review: The only way is up
Hit: 5 Stars
We love life does not hook you as easily as say Different Class did, but I think it's a more mature and conceptual offering. The more you listen to the album, the more you really come to enjoy it. There's not really a weak track on this disc, I would tell you about some standouts on this album or you could just read the track listing. This record towers above the generic garbage that music television and radio tries to cram into our ears on a daily basis. You may need to search for it, you may need to pay import prices but trust me, it's worth it. We love life never stops astounding me. The lyrics in the hands of another singer could seem banal, but Cocker gives every word a bitter sweet life all it's own. The album is a paean to life as only Jarvis Cocker could compose.