Fluxblog 525: don't call it a comeback
New songs by Pulp, Stereolab, Sleigh Bells, and Wet Leg
The Universe Shrugged, Then Moved On
Pulp “Spike Island”
I don’t know if it was intentional but I love that the lead single from the first Pulp album in 24 years feels so 80s new wave. It’s important to keep in mind that while the band’s creative and commercial success was in the 90s, they’re actually a band from the 1980s. Their original contemporaries – if not necessarily peers – were the likes of Duran Duran, Human League, Talk Talk, OMD, and Ultravox. “Spike Island” calls back to that 80s sensibility: enormous implied scale, lightly funky, unapologetically corny synth tones and hand claps, vaguely optimistic in tone. It’s bold and bright and gives a lot of space for Jarvis Cocker to do his thing. You can’t put a small frame around a persona that big.
Among other things, “Spike Island” is a song about reconnecting with something in yourself, or maybe it’s more like finding peace with who you’ve always been after trying to expand your sense of self. “I was born to perform, it’s a calling,” Cocker sings, “I exist to do this.” A young man sings something like that and it sounds like bragging; a man in his early 60s sings it and comes across more like relief and self-awareness.
There are two times in this song where Jarvis sings about making the choice to avoid self-destruction, and I’m not sure whether he’s talking about why he moved away from Pulp, or why he ended up coming back to it. Could be a little of both. But in either case, it feels so good to hear him sing “I took a breather and decided not to ruin my life.” It doesn’t need to be about his story to resonate. It’s helpful just to hear someone say with some authority that sometimes you need to do that.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
The Numbing Is Not Working Anymore
Stereolab “Aerial Troubles”
Stereolab has returned after 15 years without releasing new material. “Aerial Troubles” sounds exactly like Stereolab in all the ways I expect you to immediately understand, because actually describing their aesthetic feels a little like trying to describe a color. (You’ve seen yellow, right? It looks like things that are yellow.)
But it’s also very Stereolab in the sense that they’ve always taken the “lab” part of their name seriously. They’re always tweaking the formula, absorbing different styles, and figuring out new ways to sound like themselves. In this case, it’s a very different approach to three-part harmony. (I think they’re pulling from Eastern European tradition here, but this beyond my expertise.) There’s also a cool melodic riff towards the end that strikes me as very un-Stereolab, but its fits seamlessly into this composition so it ends up being one more vibe assimilated by the groop.
The lyrics are Stereolab to the nth degree. Laetitia Sadier is singing about “dying modernity” and consumerism no longer serving as an effective numbing agent, but as always, she has some optimism about the possibilities of life on the other side of capitalism and imperialism. She’s using a lot of clunky academic language – “the juncture invites us to provide care while offering antenatal care for the inception of the new yet-undefined future” – but somehow she makes it sound so smooth and elegant in her melodies.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
As Long As The Singles Are Sick, Hit Play
Sleigh Bells “Badly”
John Peel’s line about The Fall was “they are always different, they are always the same,” and that notion also applies to Sleigh Bells. Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss have stayed true to the basic premise of their band for 15 years: hyper-masculine heavy rock riffs + ultra-feminine pop-as-genre aesthetics + super-charged production. The goal of the production is always the same – get the most hyped-up sound imaginable – but it’s typically the most variable aspect of the formula. Early on, it was mostly blown-out trap beats, but as they’ve moved along Miller has messed around with a lot of wild ideas including hyperactive spins on Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, hardcore punk breakbeats, and chaotic K-pop metal.
This time around on Bunky Becky Birthday Boy, Miller is emphasizing contrast, bouncing between super sugary pop sections and the distinctive dense peak Loudness War guitar tone of the 2000s. I don’t even like that kind of guitar sound in most cases, but he makes it work, especially on “Badly,” where he gets the most out of the style’s implied scope and velocity. He makes you feel like you’re speeding through a Y2K fantasy future in the chorus, and believe it when Krauss sings “the party is hotter than we could ever imagine.” The lyrics are perfectly Sleigh Bells too, acknowledging darkness and pain while striving for transcendental thrills. As with a lot of their songs, the message is clear: Life can be agony, but you’ve got to throw yourself into the best of it while you can.
Buy it from Amazon.
Stupid Is, Stupid Does
Wet Leg “Catch These Fists”
I had some vague worry that Wet Leg may be one of those bands who burn bright early on but taper off as they go along, but that concern has been dialed down quite a bit after they dropped this song earlier in the month. They’ve still got their spunky weirdo charm, but the mood is darker and the attitude is more spiky than silly. That main guitar riff reminds me of Brix-era The Fall, but the vocal hook and general vibe reminds me of Elastica’s second record. (High praise.) It’s a song about having a bad time confronting creeps at a club, but they make it sound like a very good time.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
LIVE LIVE LIVE LIVE
I finally got to see Kylie Minogue after all these years! One of the things I love about seeing shows at Madison Square Garden is when you can tell an artist is excited and moved by the experience of getting to perform there. It was extremely obvious how much it meant to Kylie to play a second sold out show at the Garden, and it elevated the entire experience.