Jarvis Cocker - 'Don't Let Him Waste Your Time'
It's always rubbish when you read a review of a noteworthy musician's new song, and all the person writing it seems to want to talk about is the video, isn't it? I mean, here you are, desperate to find out what your dad is banging on about when he calls Jarvis The People's Poet Of Britpopshire (or something like that), and here I am droning on and on about how clever it is that that he's made a video where he's the worst taxi driver in the world.
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It's just lazy journalism, really. I should be describing the loping, wheezing guitars and tinkly keyboards, or the warmth of Jarvis's vocals, which make the relationship advice in the lyrics seem like the wisdom of a tribal elder. I would definitely need to mention the arthritic tempo, if only because it manages to hobble what seems to be a decent pop song by making it too slow, too weighty and a bit too epic.
I should also point out that poor Jarv would have to come back with a song which was empirically better than Pulp's (his former band, how young ARE you exactly?) finest moments in order to side-step the faint smell of anti-climax that comes with his return to pop life, and this song isn't it. Neither was his very, VERY sweary download-only single about the state of things in general ('Running The World'), but that's the problem with having a reputation for being brilliant, people expect brilliance.
Anyway, if I were any good at this writing lark, I'd have said all that and not just pointed out key scenes in the video which are funny, like when he turns to offer lyrical advice to his passenger and nearly kills some pedestrians.
I blame myself for being so easily distracted. Sorry.
Released: January 8th
(Fraser McAlpine)
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