Now that Pulp are taking what's euphemistically described as an extended break, Jarvis Cocker clearly has too much time on his hands. That's the only explanation behind Relaxed Muscle, a bizarre in-joke that might have been funny had it been confined to one single but has, at this stage, long outstayed its welcome. The self-proclaimed 'sound of young Doncaster' consists of Darren Spooner (Cocker) and Jason P. Buckle (Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley), who spend most of their ridiculously crude debut album droning about sex over plodding drum tracks and cheap synthetic beats. Is it a subtle satire on Londoners' perception of their northern cousins? Or a celebration of Yorkshire's electro-pop heritage? Whatever, it's grim, monotonous and, for much of its length, virtually unlistenable. Let's hope that Relaxed Muscle is just something that Cocker had to get out of his system before getting down to serious business again - because this is a transparent waste of his talents.
