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at a glance...
Hometown: Essex/London, England
Formed: 1988
Personnel:
Damon Albarn -vocals, guitars, keyboards
Graham Coxon -guitars, vocals
Alex James -bass
Dave Rowntree -drums
Related Bands:
Seymour, Graham Coxon, Silver Apples, Elastica, Fat Les
Notes:
In 1989 they were a noisy, unpredictable art-rock outfit saddled with the terrible name Seymour. By 1999 they had become a noisy art-rock outfit using the slightly less terrible name Blur. A lot happened in between. Blur killed baggy, pretended to be mods, birthed Britpop, pretended to be Americans...and released some of the decade's best pop records along the way. Early hit singles "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way" provided an auspicious beginning, but the band almost imploded before 1993's Modern Life is Rubbish gave them a new look and a second life. Parklife pulled them out of the indie ghetto and into the British tabloids, but a foolish, if fun battle with Oasis overshadowed 1996's The Great Escape. It was to be the last of Blur's trilogy of English Life albums, and 1997's "Song 2" made them a surprise favorite in America's football stadia. Go figure.
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Blur
Leisure
Food/SBK, Released 1991
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If the early Stone Roses had cranked up their amps or The Smiths had ever gone psychedelic, Leisure might have been the result. But it was Blur that gave us Leisure, and while the lush pop psychedelia of their debut doesn't offer much foresight into the sharp little band that developed, it certainly shows that whatever direction these boys decide to take, they've got loads of promise.
Leisure is luxuriously mellow. "She's So High", "I Know", and "Bad Day" wrap you in a cocoon of shimmering, jangly guitars, velvety keyboards, and crisp drumming, and Blur's easy melodies and harmonies are so light you'll find yourself floating. It's not all ethereal, though. On "Slow Down" and "Wear Me Down", beneath the dreamy haze lie layers of driven, crashing drums and the frustrated swell of guitars, giving the effect of a wild abstract painting done in cool watercolors. Damon's "piss off!" attitude is contagious on "High Cool" as he sneers, "And you talk too much/ But you always do/ Don't think that I really need you to." The song's aggression sneaks up and knocks you over, courtesy of Graham's deft guitar work. There are also a few little surprises; "Bang" is pure pop, clean and simple, and "There's No Other Way" is slinky and just a bit raunchy, despite the feigned innocence of Damon's vocals.
Leisure isn't near the album Parklife or even Blur is, but even on this debut Blur were too accomplished to be lumped in with the Britpop lightweights who would follow them. Although Damon's lyrics don't pack the wit and sentiment they would on later albums, the musicianship of the band gets the message through.
If you like Leisure, check out:
Blur 13
Blur Blur
Blur The Great Escape
Blur Parklife
Blur Modern Life Is Rubbish
Graham Coxon The Sky Is Too High
Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Stone Roses The Stone Roses
The Smiths The Smiths
Weezer Weezer
-- Lori Latimer
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