My daily commute from home to work is made bearable only thanks to a pocket-sized DAB radio and the musical delights played daily by the wonderful Lauren Laverne; her breakfast-time BBC 6Music show soundtracks the walk-train-walk-bus-walk ordeal that takes me from door to desk. It's a heady mix of tunes and informed chat that, most days, feature something new and shiny getting a spin, an aural delight that perhaps might pop into my brain and take an easy residence there.
One such tune, that has easily made a home in the dusty pathways of my noggin, is living legend Jarvis Cocker's latest release, Must I Evolve? This is the first release from his new ensemble JARV IS, a collection of musicians plucked from various bands and previous collaborative endeavours, and an absolute beast of a song it is too.
The song opens gently, with Jarvis' queries replied to by a Greek chorus, leading into a gorgeous near spoken word section, before handclaps give way to a thundering rollercoaster of groovy organ and blistering guitars. If Aphrodite's Child ever supplied the soundtrack for an existential Western this is what it would sound like, all that's missing is a Mariachi trumpet solo at the end.
It's only at the end, when the dust settles around you and the other commuters on the bus are giving you some very odd looks, when you realise that was nearly seven minutes of absolute exhilaration. Gorgeous.
Being primarily a live concern it should come as no surprise to learn that eager punters can only obtain a hard copy of the single at one of JARV IS' gigs (and having checked their forthcoming live dates I rather think I'll be out of luck in getting my grubby mitts on one). Are musicians idiosyncratic? Yes yes yes yes...
UPDATE: 24/05 - There's a remix too, which is nice...
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