Jarvis Cocker at Webster Hall Monday night
Jarvis Cocker
“Jarvis”
Rough Trade, 2007
After artsy Brit-poppers Pulp imploded in 2001, their iconic front man Jarvis Cocker seemed to go on a permanent musical hiatus as well, preferring guest editing stints at the UK’s Guardian newspaper and hanging out with his wife in Paris to releasing new music. To the delight of many fans, he reemerged last year with a witty, political track called “Cunts Are Still Running the World,” and Cocker seems to have lost none of his ability to provide sardonic social commentary via pop music. On his self-titled solo release, he rails against naughty, chubby teenagers on “Fat Children” and questions how parents can explain away the ills of the world on “Disney Time.” Cocker also casts a critical eye on modern romance in “Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time,” (which he wrote for Nancy Sinatra), but seems to find redemption on the joyful “Baby’s Coming Back to Me.” Musically, the album is a bit sparer than Pulp’s grandiose recordings, but still unmistakably Brit-pop. From “Common People” to the cunts in control, Jarvis is proving to be one of the smartest and most sardonic chroniclers of our time.
Show details: Mon 4/23 8:00 PM Jarvis Cocker Webster Hall 18+ $32
-Cortney Harding
