On Pulp's latest 'This is Hardcore', the candy-coated kitchen sink drama rolls on, with Jarvis Cocker bending your ear about how unnerving it is to be a pop star and 33 years old. It's pretty amusing in a David Bowie (circa Diamond Dogs) meets Marc Almond on a rainy bad hair day. On 'Help the Aged', the chorus hysterically reminds you that nothing lasts forever, while reminding us that our grandparents were once like 'you, drinking, smoking cigs, and snifrng glue.'
On the title track, a perfectly sultry strip-theme, breaks out into an expansive description of the pure seduction, Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music) meets Neil Diamond style, bottomming out with the question, 'It's a hell of a show, but what I want to know (is) what exactly do you do for an encore?' It took Pulp and Cocker ten years to rnally find the spotlight they so desired, and it appears that fame has given them a better grip themselves, even if the 'fear' that they describe here is somewhat justired given the weakness of their 80's work. I heard a funny quote the other day, "How can you tell an English band from an American one. They can change guitarists and still sound the same." Still miles ahead of Oasis and step for step with Suede.