Jarvis - Jarvis

For those who spent too much time in Bar Italia

After retiring from music, Jarvis (for he only needs a mono-moniker now) suddenly had a plethora of tunes, not least the G8 Summit-and-associated-baiting anthem, (Cunts Are Still) Running The World. Before long, it became an album proper, with an attendant 500-only vinyl edition, featuring Running The World as a bonus 7”. 10 years after the Britpop party ended, the man who made a kitchen sink drama out of pop music is soundtracking the onset of weariness for those no longer sorted for Es and whizz. The likes of Fat Children (‘took my life’) have all the worldliness of a man who’s seen happy slapping before, when it was a by-product of Tango ads. Jarvis has found a softer, ethereal and disjointed musicality that he barely allowed into Pulp, and it gives Jarvis the feel of a 13-track version of This Is Hardcore’s A Little Soul – where melody is just about to break through, but never blooms into full-blown pop. If not quite as arch as before (though Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time has a pop), there’s still enough humour (From A To I), life-affirmation (Tonite) and nuances to uncover for a time to come.

Rough Trade | RTRADCD 340

Reviewed by Jason Draper
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