After years of obscurity, Pulp shot to stardom in Britain with 1994’s His ‘n’ Hers. By the time Different Class was released at the end of October 1995, the band, particularly lead singer Jarvis Cocker, were genuine British superstars, with two number two singles and a triumphant last-minute performance at Glastonbury under their belts, as well as one tabloid scandal.
On the heels of such excitement, anticipation for Different Class ran high, and not only does it deliver, it blows away all their previous albums, including the fine His ‘n’ Hers. Pulp don’t stray from their signature formula at all — it’s still grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes, but they have mastered it here. Not only are the melodies and…
Tag Archive: Pulp
The rhyming of “vicars” and “knickers” and a reference to Ingmar Bergman swiftly prove that at least one of Pulp’s idiosyncratic missions – loosely, to make existential crisis out of bedroom farce, or bedroom farce out of existential crisis – remains intact on this hearteningly fine comeback album.
Pulp often seemed older and somewhat wiser than their Britpop peers in the 1990s, so new, reflective investigations on the drawbacks of adult responsibility (‘Grown Ups’, a terrific cousin to New Order’s Sub-Culture) still feel of a piece with their classics. Critically, though, More is also a musical match for those records, with Jarvis Cocker’s excellent Jarv Is band fleshing out the Pulp line-up, and producer James Ford discreetly refreshing the kitchen-sink showstoppers…