Further Complications

With his Brit-Pop band Pulp and now as a solo act. Jarvis Cocker isn’t out to make anyone like him. Throughout his second solo album, he comes across as the creepy middle-aged guy whose carnal desires are first and foremost on his mind. But where he once hid his crass side in sweet, garish arrangements, he put no-nonsense engineer Steve Albini at the controls and the expected musical stripdown puts Cocker’s concerns front and center. The in-your-face garage rock of “Angela” lets you know the girl is about 23 years old and making $4.50 an hour but comes with a complimentary shower. Cocker claims he’s “profoundly shallow” within the surprisingly sultry Isaac Hayes / Barry White R&B groove of “I Never Said I Was Deep,” but his twisted wit tells us otherwise. “Homewrecker” features jamming sax that sends things back to a ‘50s sock-hop as it modulates to a new wave-inspired motion. “Slush” powers with a moody ruminative feeling that Cocker has wandered off on his lonesome to ponder his destiny, which includes lots of self-empowerment and chuckling indifference to his fellow man.