Jarvis Cocker Jarvis by: Dean Van Nguyen Mon:02-Jul-07 Label: Rough Trade Year: 2007 WB rating 86 out of 100

More than any one figure, Jarvis Cocker could claim to be the definitive icon of the Britpop era. In a musical movement that is remembered as defining pre-Blair Britain, Noel Gallagher, Richard Ashcroft, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon were all writing huge sing-along anthems, leaving the British public wondering what a wonderwall was, and how exactly did one live a parklife? Rockstars are by nature liars. They lie about their lifestyle, bank balance and the size of their egos. The mundane truth of normal life rarely sells records. But at the same time, Cocker was propelling Pulp to the top of the charts by telling the truth, orto  put another way, simple autobiographical stories about the girl who got away, which proved to be the kind of singles working class Britons could relate to.

Britpop was so huge that it risked overshadowing the bands it had driven to fame. When the bubble burst artists who had found themselves household names were scrambling for position in the brave new world. Pulp put out a greatest hits compilation that limped into the British charts at number #71, and disbanded. Jarvis might of crept up on us had Cocker not been so visible these last few years. Amongst other things he’s made an appearance in a Harry Potter movie, written occasionally for other artists and performed as Rolf Harris on Stars in Their Eyes. With his career in the band Pulp over, and Cocker seemingly happy to pick and choose projects at his own leisure, internet single ‘Cunts Are Still Running The World’ hit like a cruise missile last year. Present here as a bonus track that appears some half an hour after the album ends, the song rose expectations, meaning Jarvis wasn’t quite the stealth bomber it could have been, but it’s still a pleasant surprise that Cocker has produced such a fine album at this stage in his career. Artists rarely age like fine wines, but he just might be the exception to the rule. He’s waved goodbye to his youth, enjoyed freedom from the band he spent more than half his life in, settling into middle age very nicely.

His semi-retirement is reflected in Jarvis, the songs sound like they have been written at a leisurely pace. In the years since Pulp’s demise Cocker has relocated with his family to the French countryside, free from any pressure to produce a record but writing for the sheer joy of it. ‘I Will Kill Again’ has him describing his new found stress-less life (“Build yourself a castle/keep your family safe from harm/get into classical music/raise rabbits on a farm”). However, on ‘Tonight’ he is found pondering what to do to cure his boredom. This more laid back approach has meant there are no obvious choices for singles. Certainly nothing that will challenge the sort of airplay ‘Common People’ and ‘Disco 2000’ received. But it may be his strongest set of songs to date. His personality stamped all over it.

After a short piano intro the album rips into the huge synth of ‘Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time’. It’s the kind of outrageous pop song that made Cocker such a huge pop star. ‘Fat Children’ has the energy of Britpop-era Pulp, and it’s a fine example of Cocker’s storytelling ability, as he recalls a gang who stole his mobile phone. Powerful drumming, violently strummed electric guitar and irresistible ‘ahh’ choruses: “I died in the back of the cab and I’ll be back to haunt them” display that wonderful Britpop humour, still intact; the spirit of Pulp truly alive on ‘From A to I’, right down to the keyboard-led chorus. It sounds like a direct descendent of their underrated, classic album His ‘n’ Hers.

Whether this proves to be a creative rebirth or simply a once off gift that has fallen from the heavens remains to be seen; either way Jarvis is an apt title, as a piece of work that beautifully sums up who the man is.