It’s been a long time coming.

The beloved Jarvis Cocker, inspiration for this here blog Pulp and Circumstance, Juiced!, is right about ready to drop his sophomore solo go-around, Further Complications, and humble blogger is still in squeal mode.

Hot with anticipation regarding a Cocker-Steve Albini collaboration, it seemed like one of the greatest matches made in musical heaven–Albini one of the most formidable producers and an epitome in his own right of 90s music (having worked records for The Pixies and Nirvana). Enter Jarvis Cocker, one of my unwavering musical loves, and an epitome, in his own right, too, of 90s music, ahem, 90s Brit Pop.

While certainly I was wary as to how Albini and Cocker would resolve their certainly different aesthethics–Albini playing gritty, garage music close to the vest, while Cocker has strong proclivities toward witty, wry, pop infused tracks with a dash of synth and glam to boot–it appears, from the tunes on Further Complications I have taken extra time to savor, the match is successful.

Although some of the tracks off the forthcoming release do not appear to have that absolutely immediate punch of tunes like “Fat Children” on his debut solo outing, Jarvis, this latest album could in fact hold a track that will go down as an all time great in Mr. Cocker’s body of work–“I Never Said I was Deep”. Its a stunner, really.

It is clear, however, many of the tracks are infused with Albini’s rock sensibility and less of that beautious synth glam pop hybrid mixed with eroticism, wit, and the like that makes Jarvis Cocker one of the greatest songwriters of all time. It remains to be seen whether chatter will abound as to whether this record truly was perfect marriage of producer and artist. Methinks its highly possible…

In the meantime, you be the judge. Here are a few offerings off the record. The aforementioned “I Never Said I was Deep” is a music, as well as “Hold Still”, which features beautiful instrumentation and really well timed backing and clapping. “Angela”, one the other hand, is more in Albini’s vein, and certainly isn’t one I’m yearning to hit repeat on; I can’t get at that wit of Jarvis’ amidst the chugging guitars and repetition even though there are shimmers of his lovely eroticism with mention of her…breasts, naturally.

Further Complications hits record shops May 18.

[Jarvis Cocker – I Never Said I was Deep.]
[Jarvis Cocker – Hold Still.]
[Jarvis Cocker – Angela.]