This is the second week that I take part in One Week, One Album, the music meme hosted by Killian @ Leaf On the Breeze. This was an album of my choice and as you can see it's The Magic Whip, the new album by Blur.
Do you need an introduction to Blur? They were one of the most popular and recognisable Britpop groups of the '90s. I myself am a great fan and this album came when I was sure that I would never hear anything new by Blur again. Indeed, Blur released their last album Think Tank in 2003. After that, each of them followed a solo career, with Damon Albarn later forming the animated group Gorillaz. So, The Magic Whip for me was a big deal.
When I put on the album, from the first chords I was screaming "It's Blur, it's the new Blur". The opening song Lonesome Street reminded me a lot of the group's previous songs and raised my expectations. As the songs progressed I heard that this wasn't just Blur doing the same thing they did 15 years ago. It's Blur in the present and I loved this fact because after such a long absence I was afraid that they wouldn't find a common ground to create something new. There are both upbeat songs, as well as slower tracks, like the eerie Pyongyang. Lyrically also The Magic Whip didn't disappoint me, the track that stayed with me the most was My Terracotta Heart. The only thing I would say about this album is the monotonous vocals by Damon Albarn, especially for those who will listen to Blur now for the very first time. All in all, The Magic Whip is a very enjoyable album, it was a strong comeback by Blur and made me a fan all over again.
Favourite Tracks in the Album: Lonesome street, New World Towers, Thought I was a Spaceman
Literary References: Unfortunately none.
Is it a good reading companion? Yes, it is an excellent reading companion. The monotonous vocals really help.
Literary References: Unfortunately none.
Is it a good reading companion? Yes, it is an excellent reading companion. The monotonous vocals really help.
I actually haven't listened to this yet (I may extend the meme out to every two weeks, we'll see) but I'm glad that they decided to shake things up. So many bands, when making a comeback album, just do something really safe and generic and the result ends up being pretty lukewarm. That's what happened with Strangers To Ourselves, the new Modest Mouse album that came out earlier this year. The fact that Blur really made an effort to move forward, even on a comeback album, has got me really looking forward to listening to the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that they didn't disappoint me at all! I don't know if I'm positively inclined because I was already a fan, but this would also mean that I would be more disappointed if it didn't turn out to be that good.
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