Mi stupisco invero a scoprire che su Debaser nessuno ha mai fatto una recensione su questo disco, forse perchè troppo poco conosciuto o forse perchè si tratta di un episodio atipico della band di Sheffield. Che non sia un disco particolarmento allegro si vede già dalla copertina dove in basso campeggia la scritta: "Ten stories about claustrophobia, suffocation and holding hands". Questo disco è un viaggio malsano, viscido, paranoico, smanioso... Ci sarebbero mille altri aggettivi per descriverlo ma non si potrebbe capire appieno se non lo si ascolta.
Il disco si apre con "Fairground", un pezzo che potrebbe essere uno scarto dello Zappa di Hot Rats, surreale, grottesco. Il pezzo mantiene una irrequieta calma fino alla metà di esso dove esplode in una grassa risata di ascendenza grandguignolesca e marinettiana: "And the man at the side of me start a lewd laugh...AHAHAAHAHA" per poi ritornare "quieto" come prima. Si continua con "The Never Ending Story" (no, non è la storia del cane abnorme e del ragazzino eroe, lasciamo a Lihamal 'ste cose) un accompagnamento orchestrale, una voce che ti entra nella testa...qui Jarvis Cocker si incorona "re del proprio niente" e dimostra una feroce quanto perversa attitudine alla farsa grottesca. La successiva "I Want You" si affida ad un crooning molto intimo e confidenziale sbocciando in un ritornello "soul" molto levigato che potrebbe richiamare le atmosfere del loro primo disco "It". "Being Followed Home" ribadisce la tendenza di questo disco ad aprire all'ascoltatore mutevoli e dettagliate geografie sonore sulle quali si posa la voce inconfondibile di Jarvis. "There Is No Emotion" è forse il pezzo più fiacco dell'intero album, Cocker guarda allo specchio la sua solitudine e si mette nei panni di un abulico e ciondolante Elvis o Sinatra di fine carriera, Jarvis traspone in una grana musicale volutamente arida e pervasa da un pallore a dir poco cadaverico. E qui signori cala il sipario con uno dei più bei pezzi scritti dai Pulp: "They Suffocate At Night". la canzone riprende il canto melodrammatico tipico dei chansonnier francesi e lo traspone in un arido clima new wave, post-punk, con un violino secco e una base ritmica minimalista. Cocker si immedesima un Serge Gainsbourg paranoico, fobico e cadaverico.
Che dire? Un disco troppo ma troppo sottovalutato....consigliato a tutti gli amanti del dark, gothic rock, sebbene i Pulp non rientrino in questo filone. Per integrare materiale all'ascolto consiglio la raccolta "Masters Of The Universe" con tutti i singoli del periodo (non apparsi su nessun album) fra tutti splendido "Aborigine" uno psicodramma tribale alla Fall.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
04 Master of the Universe (03:22)
I am the master of this universe and I've got so big it hurts. Raise your
eyes and graze your kness because your master is displeased, because you
dared to doubt his word, his polished surface dulls and cracks. Your
bitter laughter breaks his back. I am the master of this universe. I
taught you everything you know. Now you must bear your master's curse for
I will not let you go. Now you must walk this town 'til down in every
public open place, your master's look upon your face. Oh now look what you
have done; you've spoilt it all for everyone. The master masturbates alone
in a corner of your home. You feed him scraps when in the mood. You beat
him hard and keep him nude. You cut your master down to size. Now he
cries and he cries now. Now he begs both night and day. He lets you take
him on your knee. He comes on losing consciousness, he dearly loves his
new mistress. Now he repeats it every night. Every night on point og
death - "You are the master of the universe". You are the master of the
universe.
07 Anorexic Beauty (02:59)
Sitting alone on a cold bar stool,
your cold, hard eyes make me feel a fool.
Pastel-white features,
high cheek-bones,
scarlet-blooded lips and deathly tones.
The girl of my nightmares,
sultry and corpse-like.
The girl
of my
nightmares.
Brittle fingers,
and thin cigarettes,
so hard to tell apart,
she hasn't spoken yet.
You put your hand on mine,
death white on brown,
those whirlpool eyes;
well, I begin to drown.
The girl of my nightmares,
erotic and skull-faced.
The girl
of my
nightmares.
Anorexic beauty,
feather-weight perfection,
anorexic beauty,
underweight
goddess.
Sitting alone on
a cold bar stool, your
so hard to tell apart,
she hasn't spoken yet.
Pastel-white features,
high cheek-bones,
scarlet-blooded lips and deathly tones.
The girl of my nightmares,
sultry and corpse-like.
The girl
of my
nightmares.
Anorexic beauty,
feather-weight perfection,
anorexic beauty,
underweight
goddess.
09 Don't You Know (04:09)
There's not much time for talking, all your friends are going to walk away. If there was time for talking all too soon you'd be lost for things to say. Don't you know she could break you, every bone that's inside of you? Then again she might make you everything that you want her to, and if you could walk away, where would you go anyway? And if you've still got the chance, I know you know you'll stay, stay. I don't need your excuses; are you tired of trying to stay on top? so just lie back and enjoy it and save your tears for when the kissing stops oh, you know it's got to stop. Don't you know she could break you, every bone that's inside of you? Then again she might make you everything that you want her to, and if you could walk away, where would you go anyway? And if you've still got the chance, I know you know you'll stay, stay. Oh, you'll stay, oh, you'll stay. Don't you know she could break you, every bone that's inside of you? Then again she might make you everything that you want her to, and if you could walk away, where would you go anyway? And if you've still got the chance, I know you know you'll stay, stay. Oh, you'll stay, oh, you'll stay. Oh, you'll stay, oh, you'll stay, oh, you'll stay, oh, you'll stay, oh, you'll stay.
10 They Suffocate at Night (06:17)
His body loved her
his mind was set on other things
Keep your face out of sight
and your thoughts to yourself
And this went on for several nights
festering in silence, growing in the dark
and this they saw as love
Love
So sad to see
They suffocate at night
Oh this they saw as love
Love
So sad to see
to see it slowly die
She met his wishes
he found that he had changed his mind
Now the fit is too tight
and the bedroom too warm
The days are filled with things to do
Night-time lies so hollow and memories betray
Oh memories of love
Love
So sad to see
They suffocate at night
Those memories of love
Love
So sad to see
to see it slowly die
Two years have passed
two years of emptiness inside
and the grey skies above
just show how far I went wrong
I wonder if she's living there
the way that I recall
the way I'll always think of you
And when I think of you
I think of love
Love
So sad to see
They suffocate at night
You know I think of love
Love
So sad to see
to see it slowly die
I wrote you a letter
I threw it away
I wrote you a letter
I threw it away
I need her
I know I don't need her
I need her
Oh
Oh-oh
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