What potentially could be the man's greatest work so far, is imminent (how imminent, it's hard to know given the "beacon of inefficiency" that JC has always revelled in). Time to make a few forecasts.

I'll get the ball rolling:

 

How many tracks on the album? 

Hopefully no 'hidden track' bollocks this time round. He kind of bottled it with 'Running The World' last time, (though the vinyl version is very smart with the seperate 7" for said song).

So, bearing in mind he's played roughly 10 new songs on his various fleeting tours over the past 10 months, and he's very likely held a few back for further development/studio tinkering (or realistically, last minute lyric-writing) I'll go with a dozen songs. Like the best Pulp albums had.


Album Structure

There's already a potentially really strong core to the album. Like at the gigs, I imagine the bristling, confident urgency of 'Further Complications' will open the album. 'Caucasian Blues' is similarly spiky adult-rock and I think both songs indulge Jarvis' "growing old (dis)gracefully" side. 'Angela' taps into this vein too, albeit in a much more throw-away nature, and therefore is perhaps not a definite for the album.

The pop sheen of 'Girls Like It Too' and 'Never Told You' are fruitful and necessary reminders that the old dog hasn't lost his touch for a 3 minute choon and I imagine either, or both, will come near the start of the record.
 
The real meat of the album though - again, judging from live renditions witnessed/or heard thus far, will be provided by two heavyweights.
Two songs, that if done right in the studio, have all the potential to be some of the best songs he's ever written. That would be 'Told You Twice (can "Never Told You'' have it's name changed to "Never Said I Was Deep" just to avoid confusion?!) and 'In My Eyes'.
In terms of their whereabouts on the album (and 'Jarvis' was ample evidence that JC puts much thought into this process), I reckon Told You Twice will hug the middle (hopefully it's not the end of an opening salvo (ie side one on the lp) - the real 'climax' before the album breaks down somewhat in the second half,  á la This Is Hardcore on the album of the same name).
In My Eyes then could occupy it's place as the final declaration of brilliance on the album...(of course until we know all the songs this is merely hypothetical).
 

But there's no doubting these two songs magic:

Inventive structures, (the disco-groove of In My Eyes held steady by the opening monologue before the just-rightly measured chorus kicks in - the simple but stand-out qualities of the riffs in Told You Twice, and how it seemingly ends but revives for one last kiss-off spoken-verse and chorus that harmonises brilliantly).

Lyrics that are - in the case of TYT; wry, self-deprecating, honest and hilarious and IME - drenched in wistfulness, nostalgia, hopeless hope and completely relateable. Both share such a strong sense of pathos too.

If these two songs in particular can be allied to four or five other songs in the quality of the first 4-5 tracks described above ( there's not enough decent recordings of ''Just A Fucking Song", "The Usual" (none in this case) and ''Apparently" to make any sort of proper judgement on their merits in my opinion), we will have one hell of an album on our hands.
We have yet to see if Jarvis will indulge his tentative piano-playing abilities. I Will Kill Again and Big Julie suggest that this is to be advised. Though given that the album will be "heavier", perhaps ballads on the Joanna are to be ruled out.

Lead Single (Should There Be One)

Being one of the first new songs he played, and it's obvious pop factor (and possibly a 'New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice' appeal aswell) 'Girls Like It Too' has always been the obvious candidate. With the pre-Christmas shows though, ''Never Told You" (if that is its real name) emerged as the cleverest lighters-aloft anthem that BBC Radio 1 have never heard. I imagine it will be a toss-up between them two. Nothing else new seems to have the same commercial clout; though he could of course be holding back further pop gems...



Surprise/Quirk of the Album


Just for the craic, throw in something a litte unusual about the recording/artwork/lyrical reference etc.


Mine - Mark Webber will be credited for something or other musically complicated (programing on In My Eyes per chance...)


Release Date (To The Nearest Fortnight)

Hard to know. In the summer he was quoted as saying he wanted it done by the end of the year. He probably even meant 'released' by this time. Most recent stories suggest this month was/is seeing some recording sessions. Even now, in the last week of January, assuming everything has been done, save for some production duties, anything less than two months time would be pretty surprising.

I honestly thought he would have already had a couple of recording session in the autumn/before the new year. That hasn't been denied or confirmed, so perhaps this month was spent doing the last few bits before Rough Trade can confirm a track-listing and release date.

As it is, I think they'll still be working on it in the studio for a bit, and we'll hear word towards the end of Feb/start of March as to when the damn thing comes out. So, I'll go with between April 20th and May 4th. Hopefully that's being pessimistic but this is Jarvis remember so...we shall see.