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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
We Love Life-produced by Scott Walker--is best thought of as the calm after the storm. Pulp's previous album, 1997's This Is Hardcore was the kind of record often made by intelligent and sensitive people who become famous after a lifetime assuming that being famous was what they wanted. Like Radiohead's The Bends, Elvis Costello's This Year's Model, Nirvana's In Utero or most of the solo albums of Scott Walker, This Is Hardcore was twitchy, disgusted, nauseous and distinctly uneasy listening. In contrast, We Love Life is by far the most musically benign album Pulp have been responsible for, emphasising a fondness for string arrangements and gently building melodies that have only been intermittently discernible before now (see "Something Changed" or "Live Bed Show" from Different Class). New songs such as "Bad Cover Version" and "The Trees" are among the most luxuriant Pulp have recorded; having the peerless balladeer Walker in the studio can't have hurt on this front. There is no blunting of the edge in Jarvis Cocker's voice or words, fortunately, even if he seems less concerned with himself these days than previously: opening track "Weeds" seems a touching and courageous hymn of admiration to asylum seekers. --Andrew Mueller
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
After their last album, "This Is Hardcore", an often uncomfortable soundtrack to inner crisis and celebrity meltdown, many had written Pulp off and wondered if Jarvis had just lost the ability to write good pop songs.
"We Love Life" deserves to re-establish Pulp as one of the best bands produced in the UK within the last few years. Lyrically, there's the trademark Cocker humour ("The Night That Minnie Timperley Died") and references to places in Sheffield (the epic "Wickerman"), but there's also topical references (asylum seekers in "Weeds") and some gentle romantic sentiments too (especially the gorgeous 60s-style "The Birds In Your Garden" is a more than worthy successor to "Something Changed" on 1995's "Different Class" album).
One thing that really strikes you about this album is just how much the band have developed as musicians, I never realised before what a good guitarist Jarvis is. The production values of 60s icon Scott Walker have obviously encouraged the band to expand their range.
It's a different Pulp, but an improved one. More reflective, more mature and will certainly confound many people's expectations.
It's gorgeous.
"We Love Life" deserves to re-establish Pulp as one of the best bands produced in the UK within the last few years. Lyrically, there's the trademark Cocker humour ("The Night That Minnie Timperley Died") and references to places in Sheffield (the epic "Wickerman"), but there's also topical references (asylum seekers in "Weeds") and some gentle romantic sentiments too (especially the gorgeous 60s-style "The Birds In Your Garden" is a more than worthy successor to "Something Changed" on 1995's "Different Class" album).
One thing that really strikes you about this album is just how much the band have developed as musicians, I never realised before what a good guitarist Jarvis is. The production values of 60s icon Scott Walker have obviously encouraged the band to expand their range.
It's a different Pulp, but an improved one. More reflective, more mature and will certainly confound many people's expectations.
It's gorgeous.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I don't often write these online reviews for my purchases, but when I saw that pulps latest offering only has an average of 4.5 stars, I couldn't sit back and do nothing. After being a little apprehensive about getting this, as I thought pulp had gone all optimism crazed after the back-lash they recieved from 'this is hardcore', but I was most pleasantly surprised. This is an incredible, moving and heartfelt album. You can tell the band have really found their place and arecontent with life, and the experience is enriched because of this. Stand out tracks for me are 'the wickerman', an epic song of life contained within the boundaries of city life, and the beautiful 'roadkill'. Jarvis' lyrics are as witty as ever, and the tunes are equally good. Just as good as all previous efforts, you'll love life with 'we love life'.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
While it doesn't compare to their last two albums (but then again, what does?!), We Love Life does present Pulp's more earnest and cerebral side. Songs such as "Trees", the vocally layered chorus-friendly single, and the upbeat "Weeds" take the prog rockers out to nature with splendid results. At its best, songs like "Bad Cover Version" (in my opinion, the album's prime cut) and the lovely grandness of "Birds In Your Garden" encapture the towering melodies prevalent in past songs such as "Sylvia" and "Fear." They also offer their songs of Pulpy prose (a la "I Spy"), in half spoken/half sung manners. The ambience of "The Weeds II" is slick and trippy while "Wickerman" moves along in its journey-like storytelling aura. I prefer the former type of Pulp songs, ones with soaring melodies and knock-out choruses, but at the end of the day there is something for every Pulp fan in We Love Life.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Too good for mass consumption
I am not surprised this was one of Pulp's least successful outings, afterall it was produced by the genius of Scott Walker and the writing was far more adult than what had gone... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. Barker
wickerman
wickerman is exceptional.
put it on headphones, shut your eyes, the visuals are better than HD!
put it on headphones, shut your eyes, the visuals are better than HD!
Published on 18 Jan 2008 by fredthe3rd
Another fine offering.
Jarvis Cocker and Pulp emerged in the 90's along with Blur, Divine Comedy and to a lesser extent Suede as the quality side of Britpop. Read more
Published on 23 May 2006 by T. Flint
The Best Sunrise You Will Hear
This is one under rated album, its an absolute masterpiece of originality in sound and lyric, that I wander why I see it discounted all the time. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2004 by Mr. Aj Des Forges
Saving the best till last
"We love life" is an album by a very talented band finding their niche in the pop world, and feeling much happier because of it. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2003 by "cly_and_tell"
Reduced to a bloody pulp
This album is just indicative of the current trend of new albums being released by several great bands - it's a weak effort! Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2002
I just fell in love again
One of the nicest things about Jarvis Cocker is that despite his phenomenal success, he appears so unsullied by it. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2001
We Love We Love Life
Man, it's everything! You've got classic Pulp pop in 'Weeds', 'The Night that Minnie Timperley Died' and 'Bob Lind', a dark monologue laced with many string arrangements... Read more
Published on 25 Dec 2001
Those weeds will grow
Shortly before this LP came out, people were telling me that Pulp were dead and gone. Since this LP came out, I've been going around them all and laughing. Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2001 by dr_kes@hotmail.com
Wooo, we have a winner
I have mediated this CD at least ten times now, and it is still GREAT. Cocker really has done the business this time, with a much more enjoyable album than Hardcore. Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2001 by dantom@mafia.co.uk
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