Complications

The pairing of Steve Albini with Jarvis Cocker is a curious one, and it sort of works to the detriment of Cocker's Further Complications. The album rocks like a very good garage band, but Albini's indifferent attitude toward vocals forces Cocker away from the sly, under-his-breath asides and mannerisms that make him a three-dimensional misanthrope in the house of love. And the big rock context lacks the elegance and grace that makes his thorny wit all the more acute for how easily it nearly fits.