Were Jarvis ever to hang up his spectacles, he would find a pretender to his throne in Edward James Bass. The same melancholy pontificating is etched into the very core of this EP, but that isn't to say that this is a bad release. Quite the opposite.
'Man on Fire' is a drawling, leering affair. It's a strong track, with a great pace and pleasantly predominant piano. 'Star Power' is Jarvis doing lounge jazz – and it works. A song about the X-Factor, (“As I break into my choice tune/And the sweat runs down my forehead/They gave me such a dressing down/Man, I have never felt so worthless”) which begs the question, has he auditioned? 'Fear of Small Towns' is a largely spoken word piece about, well, leaving small towns. It's an accomplished song, again very much of the Pulp mould, up and down and building each time the catchy chorus is due to kick in, but this is hardly a style that has been exhausted.
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Like Jarvis, Bass tells stories well – a tale that pans out over the verses and choruses in a complete way. The lyrics are unambiguous, and this is for the better – in this case, it's nice not to have to read between the lines. A promising EP... more, please!
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