Other than that, 'The Magic Whip' was a welcome return but not hugely memorable.įollowing the commercial and critical success of their third album ‘Parklife’ (more that one in a bit) was always going to be a tough ask. ‘Lonesome Street’ and ‘Ong Ong’ stand out, as does the album’s high point – the beautiful ‘My Terracotta Heart’. An interesting jumping off point for a concept album, but the results remain a tad underwhelming. Inspired by a five-day period stranded in Hong Kong after the cancellation of the 2013 Tokyo Rocks music festival, the band worked on songs that were linked to their surroundings. Still, fans would have to wait until 2015 for 'The Magic Whip', which wasn’t the comeback everyone hoped for, but still a very consistent release. Their reunion in 2009, followed by live shows in 2012 were extremely promising, as was the release of the single ‘Under The Westway’. Damon Albarn was involved in countless solo projects and Gorillaz, and no one was expecting a new album from a band everyone thought was on a permanent break. Key track: ‘There’s No Other Way’ 7) The Magic Whip (2015)īlur’s now penultimate album came after a 12 year break. It’s a decent introduction to a promising young band trying to find their footing, but far too baggy to leave a lasting impression, especially compared to the rest of their output. A confusing time that Blur were trying to navigate. Britpop hadn't materialized yet, The Stone Roses were doing their thing and Madchester was just getting going. It’s not a dud by any means and has some high points (‘There’s No Other Way’, ‘She’s So High’), but it does feel like fairly average ‘90S indie fare, with all the required slacker vibes that haven’t aged too well. When listening to it, you get the impression that this was – quite naturally – a band trying to find its sound and attempting to fit in the then-current landscape of British guitar music, which was at something of a crossroads. Blur’s debut 'Leisure' is very much in the latter bracket. Debut albums usually tend to fall into either one of two categories: fully formed classics that serve as a “we’ve arrived” statement of intent or discardable efforts that the artists go on to dismiss once their discography has bulked up.
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