Pulp – Street Lites

Pulp’s b-side ‘Street Lites’ does what Jarvis Cocker does so perfectly: flowing narratives delivered in a sultry whisper, simultaneously a short vignette and sweet nothings purred to a forbidden lover. A combination of sex and Northern kitchen sink drama, affairs and catching people unawares. This is classic Jarvis, and the shimmery music evokes the delicate intimacy of the clandestine meetings suggested in the song. This song can be found on the ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’ single released in 1994.

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Puressence – Street Lights

Puressence was inspired into existence after four men — James Mudriczki, Neil McDonald, Anthony Szuminski and Kevin Matthews —  met on a bus bound for a Stone Roses concert on Spike Island. After the concert, they each took up music, though none had any prior experience. Their name is proper Mancunian — they formed in the area in 1992, where paper letters spelling out ‘P’-‘U’-‘R’-‘E’-‘S’-‘S’-‘E’-‘N’-‘C’-‘E’ were seen plastered about the Manchester city center. ‘Street Lights’ is off of their sophomore album, 1998’s Only Forever. Mudriczki’s vocals are reminiscent of other underappreciated vocalists of the time, including Jaime Harding of Marion and Strangelove’s Patrick Duff.