Pulp – The Light Appears

It’s been 24 years since the last Pulp album, the very good We Love Life from 2001. In between there have been scattered concerts, festival gigs, singer Jarvis Cocker’s solo albums, Russell Senior leaving, and unfortunately the passing of bass player Steve Mackey. Getting the rest of the band back together, Pulp enlisted mega producer James Ford to help in the recording.

First single and track, “Spike Island” explodes out of the speakers where Jarvis sings, “I was born to perform… I exist to do this” – and the listener believes him. “Tina” is a quintessential Pulp song about crushing on a girl but always just missing her, perfect indie pop in the chorus. From there the album goes a bit disco in spots with the house like anthem “Got To Have Love” and the throbbing bass of “Slow Jam”.

The band also includes several slower, midtempo tracks like “Background Noise” that sounds like a holdover from 20 years ago plus the saluting of their Northern home of Sheffield (“The Hymn of the North”) and an ode to the beauty of the sunset (“A Sunset”). It’s a good album that adds in the dance elements from some of Jarvis’ solo work but also sticks to what they do best. Sophisticated pop music that touches on the dark corners in life. That used to be at the club then the bedroom afterwards but now it’s at the “Farmers Market” remembering those younger times instead.

7.5/10

Trainspotting based on the Irvine Welsh novel follows the lives of several Scottish mates, most of whom are addicted to heroin. The movie depicts the staggering destruction the drug can do in a person’s life but also mixes in plenty of laughs and one of the best film soundtracks ever. Mixing alternative classics, Britpop and techno – the soundtrack was massively successful upon release in 1996. The album starts with the first of two big indie disco night hits with Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”. Originally released in the late 70s, the song gets a new release on life as a whole new generation discovers the classic drum beat from Hunt Sales.

The album immediately takes it’s foot off the gas for the ambient sounds of Brian Eno and the bubbling dance sounds of Primal Scream. Sleeper performs a very good faithful cover of Blondie’s “Atomic” before the New Order’s “Temptation” sings of “Oh, you’ve got green/blue/grey eyes”. The album then takes one of the highlights from Blur’s underrated first album with “Sing”. Lou Reed soundtracks one of the most powerful scenes in the movie when “Perfect Day” plays while Renton (Ewan McGregor) ODs before being revived in the hospital. The song’s deadpan singing of a wonderful day out perfectly fits the harrowing scene.

Originally a b-side, Pulp makes an appearance with “Mile End”, a fitting track that describes an unlivable flat in London that captures the domestic lives of the characters. Nearly bookending the album, Underworld’s smash techno crossover hit “Born Slippy .NUXX” appears. Playing in the final scenes of the movie, the song with it’s “lager lager lager” lyrics is regarded as a landmark electronic track.

Arriving a few years before Napster and online streaming, the Trainspotting soundtrack plays like an excellent mixtape that people used to pass on to one another. While the segue from Iggy Pop to Brian Eno is an odd one, several of the tracks flow nicely from one track to the next. Like any good mixtape, it has well known favourites and a few unknown gems for listeners to discover. Like the movie, the Trainspotting soundtrack still holds up 25 years later.

9/10

Tag: Pulp

Pulp – More (2025)

RIP Steve Mackey

Trainspotting: Music from the Motion Picture (1996)