Separations (1992)

I like Separations a bit more than His 'n' Hers—maybe just because it loosens up and lets itself range wide in its second half, the foray into "acid jazz." (I use the scare quotes only to indicate my general ignorance here; I don't entirely understand the term beyond that it is a flavor of electronica.) In the first handful of songs I sometimes hear something like the Stranglers, which might just be Jarvis Cocker's croak amid the arch and studied arrangements. Other times I hear things that put me in mind of Camper Van Beethoven. That's probably just the scraping violin. I'm sure these perceptions could well mean that I must be insane. The songwriting is always adroit even if it doesn't particularly distinguish itself memorably. But that second half, the "acid jazz"—well, it's pretty fucking good, if I may express my appreciation by swearing. The song times stretch to well upwards of five and six minutes and the pace picks up considerably, even as the rubbery synthesizer figures quietly assemble behind Cocker, who shifts as seamlessly as ever between his croaks and his impassioned breathless exclamations verging on yelping and back again. In fact, I like how Cocker doesn't particularly change his approach at all—it's as eccentric and insinuating as ever, with the rear-screen projection playing behind him more the factor that has been altered. It's still recognizably Pulp, by and large, just with a few unusual adornments that throw it all into interesting relief. "My Legendary Girlfriend" seems to me to be the winner of the set, with an underpinning full of dynamics and dramatic flourishes (and, yes, those rubbery synthesizer figures again), which shifts and bursts into throbbing declarations at the chorus. Effective, in a word. "Death II" gives it a run for its money, with a bit more propulsive momentum, a few nice breaks, and a nifty line opening up the production in "down at the D-I-S-C-O." Plus this: "Hey I feel this night will never end / and I will never see the day." Play loud and dance. Try not to frighten the household pets.