Blur

13
$16.98
I'm sure Blur were trying to "progress" or something, but here it didn't really work. I bought the album on the strength of the three singles, Tender, Coffee and TV and No Distance Left To Run, which remain three of Blur's best songs, but I'm afraid to say that the rest of the album seems more like pretentious rubbish than anything else. It's like Kid A Radiohead but it doesn't grow on you from a weird experience into an intense emotional one. It just stays boring, uninspired and more like the strange fair-ground music on Parklife than End Of A Century.

Blur
$8.94
Blur is one of my favorite English bands, and this album was supposedly intended to follow influences of American indie-rock. I don't know if that was necessarily a good move for their hardcore English fans, but this album is pretty good. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because it seems to be a bit confused and I think some of the songs aren't very good. "Song 2" gets old, although it does have a catchy beat. Could easily be a Gorillaz song if Damon intended. "Theme from Retro" isn't bad, but seems almost like an intermission. "You're So Great" is OK, not too memorable, has Graham Coxon's vocals. I did like "Essex Dogs", "Death of a Party" and "I'm Just a Killer for Your Love", they had good percussion and bass. "Look Inside America" and "On Your Own" are definitely more pop songs than the others, but are still good songs.

Overall I think it's definitely a departure from Blur's early days as a pop band, sounds much different than "Parklife", "The Great Escape" and "Modern Life is Rubbish". It just depends on your opinion of a band's evolution from one style to another.

Song 2
$0.89

Parklife
$8.94
Moody sort of blighter is Damon Albarn but his particular brand of arty snark is easily forgiven when it's warbled within the insanely catchy and right sprightly arrangements of Graham Coxon and company. Sixteen tracks of crafty such a much to lap your lugs in here at any rate and maybe even a morsel more when you consider that that's the great Phil Daniels there in the title song drinking a cuppa tea and feeding the pigeons. Sometimes the sparrows too, bless his heart. Touch of the Ray Davies about Parklife I shouldn't wonder and none the worse for all that. Nice one in Ninety Four and a nice one yet.