watching jarvis cocker’s commanding performance of “cunts are still running the world” to a thrilled audience at the 2008 pitchfork festival, one thing becomes clear: he has emerged post-pulp as a formidable live act. enter, further complications, an album recorded with producer (or whatever he does), steve albini, shortly after cocker’s appearance at the festival in chicago.
while his first solo disc, jarvis, might’ve been more stylized (perhaps the result of cocker co-writing a lot of the music with richard hawley), further complications is much more in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll— surely an impulse to encapsulate that kind of vitriolic energy his recent performances have been known for by employing a more live-off-the-floor approach to recording (ala albini). in a sense, cocker has pulled a grinderman; he’s offering a dirty, sweaty, bearded album, but unlike nick cave, his song-writing isn’t up to snuff, making further complications sound unfinished as much as it sounds raw and relentless. cocker’s boisterous persona can make up for the lack of good songs here, but it unfortunately can’t carry the album on its own.
Filed under: Album Review , 2009, further complications, grinderman, jarvis cocker, nick cave, richard hawley
