Emily's Albums A to Z

Listened: Friday July 1

This Is Just a Modern Rock Song is Belle & Sebastian tied up in a bow. Out of all their EPs, this is my favorite (though Dog On Wheels is a close second). The music is lovely and Stuart’s voice is in fine form. I Know Where The Summer Goes is one of my favorite B&S songs. I ache when I hear it (in a good way). I’m not even a big Isobel fan, but The Gate is one of her best.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I like B&S so much, given their obvious love of the 60s. Organs, ringing guitars, and tambourines abound!

Listened: Friday July 1

Similar to Led Zeppelin, when This Is Hardcore was first released, I don’t think I was grown up and relaxed enough to enjoy it. Despite my love of Different Class, the cover and sleazy tone of This Is Hardcore scared me off.

However, these days I love it. It’s a brilliant album, and quite different than other Pulp albums. Yes, Jarvis always has some level of loveable sleaze in anything he does, but This Is Hardcore takes it to another level.

Particularly Glory Days, A Little Soul, and the Day After the Revolution are righteous singalongs for me. Reading the lyrics, it probably has to do with the fact that I’m now about the same age as Jarvis when he wrote them (one song notes that he has been told he should “beware of 33” – when I realized I was nearly that age now, I grew another wrinkle). Nostalgia, self-reflection, and fear of leading a pointless life hang heavy.

When I was trapped at my desk at my last job, lyrics like “Oh and I could be a genius if I just put my mind to it and I, I could do anything if only I could get round to it” particularly poked at me.

This Is Hardcore is now of a similar importance level for me as Different Class. Different Class is more classic, but in terms of quality and meaning, they share the pedestal.