Pulp frontman-lyricist Jarvis Cocker is still obsessed with making his concerns those of his audience and the even wider world. Drawing again on classic British pop like the '70s Roxy Music, Pulp attempt to make sense of--and draw together--everything from the aging process ("One time they were just like you / Drinking, smoking cigs and sniffing glue") to doing the dishes. This is Hardcore is slightly less charged than its predecessor Different Class, but only slightly; Cocker is one rock star who knows how to raise his fans' expectations and then surpass them. --Rickey Wright