Jarvis Cocker loses wit on new album

Jarvis Cocker, most famous for being the frontman of the now disbanded Pulp, is known for his biting and sharp wit but this not only fails to show up on his newest single, "Angela" but appears sparingly on his new album "Further Complications."

"Angela" features obnoxiously high-pitched and repetitive vocals and a driving and equally repetitive guitar that refuses to change much even during the chorus. The interlude near the minute and a half mark is the only breath of fresh air in the (thankfully) short song.

Surprisingly, on the third track, titled "Pilchard," Cocker, decides to rock out and play an almost exclusively instrumental track; the only vocals are ohs. Even with a fantastic band like Pulp, the instrumental route rarely worked.

As a solo artist, it unsurprisingly falls flat as it fails to highlight any of the charismatic singer's strengths. Similarly, the title track takes on a 50's pop style with added electric guitars but it fails to stay interesting throughout.

The fourth track, "Leftovers," recalls Loaded-era Velvet Underground with its stop and start chords. Jarvis implores the listener to sing along near the end, repeating "I wanna be your lover" with the help of backing vocalists a number of times before the song ends abruptly. One of the catchier tunes, "Leftovers" is also one of the best as it stays interesting the entire way through, even if the first verse's lyrics,"I make no bones about it/If you wish to study dinosaurs / I know a specimen whose interest is undoubted," are as close to cringe-worthy as Cocker has ever gotten.

Following "Leftovers," "I Never Said I Was Deep" starts off sounding like a typical mid-90's Britpop staple. As it slows down, though, female backing vocals shimmer in the background behind Cocker's sing-speaking.

Lyrically, the track seems to be a sarcastic take on the songwriter himself. "My lack of knowledge is vast / And my horizons are narrow / I never said I was deep," vastly contrasts with Cocker's public persona.

"Homewrecker!" speeds things up with a simple chord progression aided by horns. Many of the lyrics are indecipherable as Jarvis sings quickly and choppily. The sound of the song is in stark contrast to the rest of the album.

"Caucasian Blues" is a raunchy and raucous take on problems white men may face.

The album takes a predictable turn until the final track "You're In My Eyes (Discosong)." The preceding track, "Slush" plods along for six and a half minutes. "Discosong," however, begins with a disco sample playing low in the mix to Cocker speaking softly. As drums and harmonies kick in, the song builds. "I don't wanna lose you again," Cocker generically sings. Fortunately, the change of pace in the music makes up for the lackluster chorus. Cocker seductively whispers during the second verse, arousing memories of Pulp's 1996 hit "F.E.E.L.I.N.G. C.A.L.L.E.D. L.O.V.E." Impressive drumming takes over as female voices weave in and out, finally ending in a single chord being held out for nearly a minute.

Though the album could have certainly been worse, repetition and less than stellar lyrics plague Cocker's sophomore solo outing which may also be a bit long for its own good. His attempt to recall Different Class-era Pulp succeeds at times but mostly fails.