More of More is available to those who ordered a vinyl copy of Spike Island. A decade ago, that would have been novel, like returning your trolley to the bay and not leaving it in front of a car. But this is the modern world. A lot has changed in the twelve years since Pulp last released a song. After You got a vinyl print, and why not Spike Island? Flip that masterclass over, and B-side, Open Strings, is there. Hardcore Pulp fans are fortunate this song is tucked away on the 7” as it gives them something to gatekeep in the week before More releases, at which point either Background Noise or Partial Eclipse will take over as the destined cutting of quality only the seasoned veteran of the Pulp gigs will know. Those who flew to Oslo and secured press passes just to hear O.U., for instance. Earn these stripes, these strings.
A sincerely quality song and a shame to see it will be destined, like Richard Hawley’s Bones, to a vinyl-only release in the UK… for now. Who knows what the future may hold? Who would have thought an album would be released twenty-four years after We Love Life? Extra bits are always welcome. Open Strings is a delightful extra feature, a solid addition to Spike Island. The Stone Roses gig attendance may have heard the faux desire to come alive, but Pulp made something of this command. Open Strings questions what you should do when you do find yourself liberated. Open Strings comes alive immediately with a lush Elysian Collective feature. An extra extrapolation of the themes heard on More, of connecting with and accepting love. Not just as a passion but as a concept, as a guiding light for darker times. Open Strings has deep cut written all over it.
Spoken-word drawls from Cocker, who digs deep into memories as the instrumental history of Pulp, from their synth pop stylings to the delicate, deeper octaves, makes Open Strings a heartstring puller. We want to love ourselves and those closest to us, but Cocker asks what the limit is. After so many years fearing the word, he finds a new cause for alarm. Just how deep can love go? The only way to find out is to experience it, those peaks and valleys that Cocker guides us through with the Elysian Collective backing him. He errs on the side of solo materials here, with Mark Webber given little to do and barely any sign of Nick Banks’ trademark, explosively loud percussion. But there is no need for it here. This is a little extra, a chance for Cocker to chase the overarching theme More presented so well.
Had it featured on the album, Open Strings would have been too much of a good thing. An extension of a neatly wrapped and sincere message, which would have then felt like a step too far. Not so when it features as a bonus track for those still suspicious of streaming services, turning to vinyl while they do the washing up. A nice place to listen, actually, with the kitchen sink drama commonly associated with the band finding new life on Open Strings. There are no specifics to cling to, just the abstract, the overwhelming feeling of being loved and wondering if there is an end in sight to it. Cocker provides a bruised, quality extra piece of More here. Open Strings serves as an encore to More, not a suggestion of more to come, but a reflection on what was learned.
