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at a glance...
Hometown: Essex/London, England
Formed: 1988
Personnel:
Damon Albarn -vocals, keyboards, piano
Graham Coxon -guitars, percussion, backing vocals
Alex James -bass
Dave Rowntree -drums, percussion
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
Modern Life is Rubbish
Food/SBK, Released 1993
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Blur can do anything - pop, punk, heart-wrenching ballads - they can even make guitar distortion sound pretty. Whatever they want to do, they can do it all within a brilliant, catchy three-minute song, and Modern Life is Rubbish is packed with 'em.
Full of bouncing guitars, brisk drumming, killer harmonies, and Damon Albarn's cockney accent, "Advert," "Star Shaped," and "Turn it Up" are prime examples of the ecstatic bursts of pop perfection on MLIR. And to make sure that no part of their music is lost, Blur incorporate the universal musical catch phrase, "Oooo la la la," into practically everything. They aren't always so light- hearted, though. "Oily Water" is a gorgeous, muddy whirl of rolling, dragging drums and circling guitars; "Coping" is a cool little new wave-y rocker; and "Pop Scene" is a swinging explosion of rowdy horns and barking vocals.
Modern Life is Rubbish is where Blur begin taking shots at English life, and of course they do it well. Damon's snide, cocky vocals are in perfect contrast with the singalong feelin' of "Sunday Sunday". "Colin Zeal" winces from Albarn's jabs, and "Chemical World" would be cool no matter what the song were about. Yet as smart as Blur are, I love them most when they allow themselves to be vulnerable. The simple, wistful beauty of "Blue Jeans" practically melts off the record, and "For Tomorrow" is so good it makes me want to cry. With a swaying '60s pop rhythm, sharp strings, divinely rich harmonies and the words, "So we hold each other tightly/ And hold on for tomorrow," it's everything you could ever want from song.
Whether they're being clever, biting, fun, loud, romantic, or all of those things at once, Blur get under your skin and stuck in your head. Trust me though, these are songs that you'll welcome and cherish.
If you like Blur, check out:
Blur 13
Blur Blur
Blur The Great Escape
Blur Parklife
Blur Leisure
Graham Coxon The Sky Is Too High
Supergrass Supergrass
The Clash London Calling
Pulp Different Class
The Kinks Arthur (Or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
-- Lori Latimer
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