Pulp's winsome melodic strengths—always slightly at odds to the prevailing indie winds—remained remarkably consistent from their earliest recordings for John Peel in 1981 (“Wishful Thinking”) to later rowdy album peaks such as “I Love Life”. Jarvis Cocker's lyrics remain dark and astute—“Love is Blind” has the angst of Jacques Brel, but through a Ken Loach filter.