Beyond the Pale | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 July 2020 | |||
Recorded | April 2018 – September 2019 [lower-alpha 1] | |||
Venue |
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Studio | Narcissus (London, UK) [lower-alpha 1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:12 | |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Producer | ||||
Jarvis Cocker chronology | ||||
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Singles from Beyond the Pale | ||||
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Beyond the Pale is the debut studio album by British rock band Jarv Is, led by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. [5] The studio album incorporates live recordings, and was defined by the group as an "alive album". [6] It was released by Rough Trade Records on 17 July 2020, having been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and received widespread acclaim upon release, with multiple critics characterising it as Cocker's best work since Pulp.
Jarv Is (stylised as JARV IS...) were formed in late 2017, to perform at Sigur Ros' Norður og Niður festival in Iceland. The group was "conceived as a way of writing songs in collaboration with an audience". They began recording their performances to assist their songwriting, until Geoff Barrow suggested the recordings could be used as the foundations of an album. [7] [8]
"Must I Evolve?" and "Sometimes I Am Pharaoh" were recorded during a performance in Peak Cavern, Derbyshire on 7 April 2018, while "Children of the Echo" was recorded during the band's performance at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona on 1 June 2019. The rest of the album, including vocals and overdubs for all tracks, was recorded at Narcissus Studios in Neasden, London in June and September 2019, with the exception the piano and bass parts of "Swanky Modes", which had been recorded at Paris' Red Bull Studios on 5 March 2015.
"Must I Evolve?" was released on 15 May 2019, as the band's debut single. [9] On 2 March 2020, the band released "House Music All Night Long", and announced the album on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 show. It was originally scheduled to be released by Rough Trade Records on 1 May 2020, [10] but was pushed back to 4 September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [11] before eventually being brought forward to 17 July. In June, the band shared a music video for opening track "Save the Whale". [12]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10 [13] |
Metacritic | 86/100 [14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The Daily Telegraph | [15] |
DIY | [16] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [1] |
NME | [17] |
The Observer | [18] |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [6] |
Q | [2] |
Uncut | 9/10 [19] |
Under the Radar | 7.5/10 [4] |
Beyond the Pale received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a score of 86, based on 15 critics, signifying "universal acclaim". [14] For The Daily Telegraph , Neil McCormick described the album as Cocker's "resounding comeback", writing that it is "the best thing [he] has done since Pulp, and that is very good indeed". [15] Tom Pinnock for Uncut and Andrew Trendell for NME similarly suggested that the album is Cocker's best since Pulp's This is Hardcore (1998). [19] [17] Reviewing the album for DIY , Lisa Wright praised the album for standing on its own, writing, "It would be easy, given his illustrious catalogue, to judge Jarvis Cocker against his past, but that would unfair to what Jarv Is have achieved together". [16] In his review for AllMusic, editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine compared the album favourably to Pulp's early work, such as Separations (1992), describing it as "something of a quiet renaissance for [Cocker], proof that he can still weave a compelling, daring blend of trash and high art". [3] Ryan Leas of Stereogum characterised it as "a haggard and meditative late-career album", praising Cocker's lyrics and maturation, and writing, "It’s heartening to hear Cocker singing something adjacent to pop music again". [20] For The Observer , Kitty Empire wrote, "This is a great record: the first utterance, hopefully, of a new set of echoes". [18]
In a more mixed review, Exclaim! 's Alex Whetham praised Cocker's lyrics but found the album's music to be inconsistent. [1] Ben Cardew of Pitchfork similarly praised Cocker's songwriting, but criticised the album's lack of cohesion, writing, "The hybrid stage/studio setup captures the sprawl of a live gig without the excitement and possibility, and the sheen of a studio recording without the cohesion and refinement". [6]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Save the Whale" | 4:30 | |
2. | "Must I Evolve?" |
| 6:41 |
3. | "Am I Missing Something?" |
| 6:46 |
4. | "House Music All Night Long" |
| 5:53 |
5. | "Sometimes I Am Pharaoh" |
| 5:18 |
6. | "Swanky Modes" |
| 4:36 |
7. | "Children of the Echo" |
| 6:32 |
Total length: | 40:12 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Suite for Ian & Jane" (composed for the filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard for the television series Likely Stories, and "The Dali & The Cooper", an episode of the television series Urban Myths ) | 25:24 |
Jarv Is
| Additional musicians
Technical
Artwork
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Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [21] | 28 |
French Albums (SNEP) [22] | 136 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] | 85 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [24] | 6 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [25] | 99 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] | 55 |
UK Albums (OCC) [27] | 11 |
Pulp are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. At their critical and commercial peak, the band consisted of Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle (keyboards), Nick Banks, Steve Mackey (bass) and Mark Webber.
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus, Cocker has pursued a solo career, and for seven years he presented the BBC Radio 6 Music show Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service.
His 'n' Hers is the fourth studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 18 April 1994 by Island Records. It proved to be the band's breakthrough album, reaching number nine on the UK Albums Chart, and was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Music Prize. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted it the seventieth greatest album of all time, while it was placed at number 110 in the book Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums.
Different Class is the fifth studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 30 October 1995 by Island Records.
This Is Hardcore is the sixth studio album by English band Pulp. Released in March 1998, it came three years after their breakthrough album, Different Class, and was eagerly anticipated.
We Love Life is the seventh studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 22 October 2001 by Island Records. It reached number six on the UK Albums Chart, with a total chart stay of only three weeks. Written and recorded after the tumultuous sessions for This Is Hardcore, We Love Life saw the band move toward a more relaxed and natural sound, shepherded by producer and famed singer-songwriter Scott Walker. Walker had replaced original producer Chris Thomas, whom the band had worked with on the band's two previous albums.
"Common People" is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp, released in May 1995 by Island Records as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Different Class (1995). It reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming a defining track of the Britpop movement as well as Pulp's signature song. In 2014, BBC Radio 6 Music listeners voted it their favourite Britpop song in an online poll. In a 2015 Rolling Stone readers' poll it was voted the greatest Britpop song.
"Sorted for E's & Wizz" is a song written and performed by the English band Pulp for their 1995 album Different Class. Based lyrically on a phrase that lead singer Jarvis Cocker overheard at a rave, the song features lyrics examining the hollow and artificial nature of drug culture. Because of its subject matter, the song sparked controversy in the UK, where several tabloids attacked the song.
Stephen Patrick Mackey was an English musician and record producer best known as the bass guitarist for the Britpop band Pulp, which he joined in 1989. As a record producer, he produced songs and albums by M.I.A., Florence + the Machine, The Long Blondes and Arcade Fire.
"This Is Hardcore" is a song by English rock band Pulp, released as the second single from their sixth album, This Is Hardcore (1998). Written as a commentary on fame using pornography as an analogy, the song includes a sample of the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra's "Bolero on the Moon Rocks." Released as a single in March 1998, the song reached number 12 in the UK and became a top-40 hit in Finland, Iceland, and New Zealand. It has since seen critical acclaim, as has its music video.
"Babies" is a song written and released by British rock group Pulp. Featuring lyrics about a boy spying on his friend's sister from a wardrobe, the song features a guitar riff that drummer Nick Banks had played for Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. Though poppier and lighter than much of the band's earlier material, the band was pleased with the song and was released as a single.
"Do You Remember the First Time?" is a song by British rock band Pulp, taken from their fourth studio album, His 'n' Hers (1994). With lyrics loosely based on Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker's loss of virginity, the song saw some controversy for its sexual topic. Released as the second single from His 'n' Hers, the song reached number 33 in the UK, becoming the band's first top-40 hit in that country. The single was accompanied by a lengthy music video featuring celebrities discussing how they lost their virginity. The song has since become one of the band's most famous songs and has seen critical acclaim. The track also notably served as the band's opening song on their reunion tour setlist.
"Lipgloss" is a song by British rock band Pulp from their fourth album, His 'n' Hers (1994). With lyrics written by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker about the deterioration of social skills that comes with a relationship in the context of a breakup, the song was the first that the band worked on for their new record company, Island Records.
"Razzmatazz" is a song written and released by the British rock group Pulp. Featuring lyrics written by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker about an ex-girlfriend, the song sees the narrator mock his ex-girlfriend for leading a dull life after dumping him.
"Party Hard" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp. Featuring David Bowie-inspired vocals, the song lyrically was inspired by the band's dissatisfaction and exhaustion with clubbing.
"Disco 2000" is a song by British band Pulp, included on the band's fifth album, Different Class (1995). Featuring a disco-inspired musical performance, the song was based on Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker's childhood memories of his friend Deborah Bone, who he had "fancied" in his youth but could never impress.
"O.U. " is a song written and released by British pop band Pulp in 1992. Recorded with producer and former Pulp member Simon Hinkler, "O.U." would be the band's first single with Gift Records, with whom the band signed after conflicting with indie label Fire.
Serafina Steer is an English harpist, and songwriter based in London. She is best known as a regular collaborator with Jarvis Cocker. In addition to harp, she plays keyboards, bass guitar and has composed for theatre and TV.
The solo discography of Jarvis Cocker, an English musician, consists of five studio albums, six singles and numerous collaborations with other artists. He is best known as the founder, frontman and songwriter for the band Pulp.
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