Pulp's eighth and final album was a perfect end to one of the greatest pop groups of recent years. Pulp's career from 1978-02 followed majestic conceptual peaks and troughs, from post punk obscurity to discovering house music and injecting with glam, disco and Jarvis' British kitchen sink obsessions as viewed through the opulent gauze of Scott Walker and Serge Gainsborough. Generating the first Britpop wave with Suede, Auteurs and Blur, with the classic His ' N' Hers followed by the mainstream supernova of Different Class. Stardom, cocaine, Michael Jackson, Ali G, that funny pointy dance. Then the painful delayed comedown of This Is Hardcore. Where could Pulp go next, if anywhere?
We Love Life appeared after a long gestation and is an honest, more organic sounding, open hearted and ultimately positive Pulp, whilst keeping the usual dramas, clever lyrics and relationship failures intact, this is a proper grown up pop album, that can still be enjoyed as visceral fun.
The opening Weeds is a great metaphor for the underclasses, and speaks of their resilience and the fear, fascination and hatred felt toward them (travellers, gypsys, chavs etc...) reminds me of the travellers camps when Jarvis sings 'trying to get rid of us by planting trees and shrubs, but you still come to visit us when you fancy booze and drugs'. This track stands as one of the few with the nerve to tackle immigration (Robert Wyatt's A Forest being another).
Other standouts include the teenage murder ballad 'The Night that Minnie Timperley Died', the epic story/song of strange English suburbia and rivers 'Wickerman' which reminds me of a bloke my uncle knows who dons a diving costume and lies at the bottom of river as a way to relax. Imagine the people who have passed by the river bank or on boats with no idea that a man is lying on the river bed!
Bad Cover Version provides a list of artistic disappointments including the second half of Til the Band Comes In by Scott Walker, who incidentally produced the album, and a hilarious Band Aid themed video. Roadkill is a beautifully understated ballad by Pulp standards concerning the breakup of a relationship, David Gedge style. Perhaps best of all is the double A-Side tracks Sunrise/The Trees, Trees combines themes of love, decay and environment in a way few other pop acts would ever be able to, and Sunrise epically confirms the environmental/organic undertow of the final Pulp. Pulp left a body of work that makes narrative sense and seems satisfyingly rounded (until they reform).
We Love Life appeared after a long gestation and is an honest, more organic sounding, open hearted and ultimately positive Pulp, whilst keeping the usual dramas, clever lyrics and relationship failures intact, this is a proper grown up pop album, that can still be enjoyed as visceral fun.
The opening Weeds is a great metaphor for the underclasses, and speaks of their resilience and the fear, fascination and hatred felt toward them (travellers, gypsys, chavs etc...) reminds me of the travellers camps when Jarvis sings 'trying to get rid of us by planting trees and shrubs, but you still come to visit us when you fancy booze and drugs'. This track stands as one of the few with the nerve to tackle immigration (Robert Wyatt's A Forest being another).
Other standouts include the teenage murder ballad 'The Night that Minnie Timperley Died', the epic story/song of strange English suburbia and rivers 'Wickerman' which reminds me of a bloke my uncle knows who dons a diving costume and lies at the bottom of river as a way to relax. Imagine the people who have passed by the river bank or on boats with no idea that a man is lying on the river bed!
Bad Cover Version provides a list of artistic disappointments including the second half of Til the Band Comes In by Scott Walker, who incidentally produced the album, and a hilarious Band Aid themed video. Roadkill is a beautifully understated ballad by Pulp standards concerning the breakup of a relationship, David Gedge style. Perhaps best of all is the double A-Side tracks Sunrise/The Trees, Trees combines themes of love, decay and environment in a way few other pop acts would ever be able to, and Sunrise epically confirms the environmental/organic undertow of the final Pulp. Pulp left a body of work that makes narrative sense and seems satisfyingly rounded (until they reform).
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