This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Putting two strong-willed mavericks like Pulp leader Jarvis Cocker and ’60s popster-turned-avant garde experimentalist Scott Walker into the same studio could only produce one of two results: Sheer genius or utter disaster. Thankfully, it’s the former.
We Love Life, the seventh disc from Cocker’s long-serving post-glam Britpop ensemble, is a compelling listen that could represent the next step in the band’s evolution. Outfitting their Bowie and Roxy-influenced tunes with Walker’s elegant strings and sumptuous yet odd arrangements (a couple of tracks feature 10 double-basses), Pulp emerge with a sound that is more earthy, natural and grounded than anything you’ve heard from them. Perhaps that’s why so many of these songs have a back-to-nature theme — Weeds, Weed II (the origin of the species), The Treets, Wickerman, Birds in Your Garden, Sunrise. Whatever the reason, you’ll love Life.
