ALBUM REVIEW : *** PULP, “Different Class”, Island

On its second U.S. release, the London-based outfit displays many of the traits associated with its smartly dressed and cocky Britpop peers--including a decadent rock star vibe and a love for all things retro. But Pulp deviates musically with something called creativity.

Singer Jarvis Cocker is dramatic like Nick Cave, moody like Morrissey and campy like David Bowie, and he manipulates all his influences into an edgy and humorous hybrid. In one spot, he sings about a rich girl who wants to live like “Common People”: “I took her to the supermarket / I said pretend you’ve got no money.” The band plays music that’s both sweepingly romantic and quirkily addictive while it slightly tweaks the obvious pop formula.

Pulp doesn’t claim to be the next Beatles. Instead, it’s simply a band that milks pop history for all it’s worth and still comes up looking, and sounding, painfully cool.