There was no guarantee how the album was going to turn out, considering how long it has been (and how often comeback albums are merely just okay - looking at you, the last two Blur records); but I think the title is very fitting, as this is just more Pulp. More of Jarvis Cocker's witty lyrics, more of the infectious disco-rock grooves, more of the singalong anthems. The band's sound hasn't stayed stagnant, however. There's a degree of maturity and perspective (even tastefulness) to More that replaces the extravagance and excess of their 90's work. Jarvis is certainly less horny (there's only one, maybe two songs that are explicitly about sex - compared to basically the entire of Different Class), being more concerned about topics like aging, companionship and nostalgia. The instrumentals and song structure are less stuffed with singalong hooks and bombastic crescendos, and are built around more patient builds with subtler pay-offs. This might be Pulp-sacrilege to say, but I think it results in their best overall album. Yes the singles of the 90's are classics in the canon of British pop music; but the albums that fall around them end up feeling a little redundant. Whereas More feels like a complete and cohesive body of work where every song compliments each other.
Not that there isn't an big, bombastic anthems on the album, as the two singles are vintage Pulp in all the best ways. The opener, Spike Island, was our first taste and is honestly as good as their 90's best: the spacey, bleepy-bloopy synths; the dance rock groove; the soaring, singalong chorus. It's been regularly stuck in my head since it was first released 18 months ago. Got to Have Love is even more disco with a 4-to-the-floor beat and dramatic string section. The song also has the purest of messages, being a simple one about how everyone needs love and as Jarvis puts it "Without love, you are just jerking off inside someone else".
The rest of the record is much slower and more mellow, being mostly quite stripped back and patient ballads that slowly unfurl rather than go in all guns blazing. The track Tina is this plucky little art rock tune that follows the tale of innocent infatuation with a stranger on the train, imagining an alternate reality where the protagonist and Tina are married, despite the pair never actually speaking. Where Jarvis of the 90's would have painted the situation in a self-deprecating or particularly horny way, the whole scenario is described in an entirely wholesome way. Grown Ups is similarly mature, with Jarvis reflecting on his own youth (including falling out of a window in 1985, which prompted him to take himself and Pulp as a band more seriously); alongside the youths of today trying to act mature and 'grown-up', and the ultimate dissatisfaction that comes the mundane 'mature' life that these youngsters are trying to replicate. The track slowly builds in tension until it reaches a dramatic crescendo.
The record really slows it down when it gets to the fourth track, aptly titled Slow Jam. The song is a sultry and sensual slow jam (who'd have thunk it!), with a simple bass line and subtle touches of strings. The next track, Farmer's Market tells the story of the protagonist encountering someone from his past (a teenage crush, or a nightclub hook-up, it's not clear) years later at a farmer's market and deliberating going up and actually finding out who this person is and re-introducing himself. It's a very quaint and cutesy piano-led tune that really brings a smile to my face. Outside of Got to Have Love, the record stays at this very low-key and reflective pace for basically the rest of its run time. Background Noise is another string laden ballad where Jarvis is reflecting on aging and how excitement in relationships fades over the years - turns into background noise as the title suggests. Partial Eclipse follows up on these themes, telling the tale of a person almost cheating on their spouse, but ultimately sees straight and decides against it. I think the imagery of comparing this moment of weakness to a partial eclipse of the sun, where the light slowly fades, but at the critical point returns again, is brilliant and really evocative.
A Sunset closes out the record with a track that sounds almost like a lullaby. It is so mellow and relaxed, and feels like the perfect way to end a record that is so comfortable in taking it slow and letting itself linger. The song is a subtle critique of capitalism and commercialism, and that fulfilment doesn't come from what you buy or how much you own, but by what you choose to do and experience. It is a somewhat sombre, but fitting, close to a record all about reflecting on the past and assessing what was and wasn't important in the end. And what was important was: taking a chance, experiencing life, experiencing love, and committing to it.
I really dug deeper into Pulp's discography before going to see them, and after getting to know all their records, I do really believe that More is their tightest, most consistent and most cohesive piece of work. It shows a band that have not been stagnant in their 20+ years off, and that have produced something worth getting back together for.
Top Tracks: Spike Island, Tina, Grown Ups, Slow Jam, Farmer's Market, Got to Have Love, Background Noise, Partial Eclipse, Sunset
8/10
