Pulp - More

Tracks: Spike Island; Tina; Grown Ups; Slow Jam; Farmers Market; My Sex; Got To Have Love; Background Noise; Partial Eclipse; The Hymn Of The North; A Sunset

Label: Rough Trade

It has been three years since Pulp reunited. The Jarvis Cocker-fronted outfit finally returned following a 9-year hiatus to deliver some live music to their hungry fans. However, the wait for new material has been a little longer. While there have, of course, been a couple of Cocker solo releases to satiate appetites, the wait for Pulp's eighth studio album has been a rather incredible 24 years, and it also marks their first since the loss of bassist Steve Mackey. However, Cocker has spoken openly about the need to make this release an easier creative process than prior, with the recording process lasting just 3 weeks.

Having made their fans wait nearly a quarter of a century, the appetite for the record is certainly there, but does the material warrant the wait?

A very easy question to answer—a resounding and resolute YES! More is pure Pulp glory. With all the distinctive ingredients that defined their second decade as a band, the era that spawned their most definitive and acclaimed releases, More sees Pulp delivering what the fans will be wanting, without losing the need to show growth in their artistry and a reflection of the changes in both their lives and the music industry within the release.

Having teased the release of More with the album opener, Spike Island, it was always clear that Cocker's insouciant accented vocals were deservingly centre staged against lilted music; however, as with all the finer Pulp moments, it is the quirky twists and turns along the album journey that really make the record excel. The bombastic pop of Grown Ups moves into the Scott Walker-esque Farmers Market, while the breathy naughtiness of My Sex ensures that the first half of the album more than delivers on its promise.

However, it is the epic Got To Have Love, tender Background Noise, and the truly sensational Chilly Gonzales featuring The Hymn Of The North that really make sure that the album will be remembered as a glorious return of one of the UK's finest ever act