Let's be honest whilst Oasis eventually won the brit pop wars and have gone on to be a surrogate Beatles and the Stones for the millennial generation, Blur were always doing the interesting stuff.
Every Blur album sounded different and saw them endeavouring to challenge themselves creatively by constantly shifting style and sound, whilst Oasis seemed happy to consistently recycle with diminishing returns in the quality department.
Blur’s last attempted a comeback in 2015 with “Magic Whip”. It was, shall we say, rather muted as the album was terrible if I am honest. “The Ballad of Darren” sees them rediscover their collective musical mojo, creating a work of art that recalls them at their creative best but is also able to contribute new textures to their legacy.
It is significantly not a retread of past glories, yes there are jaunty pop songs that recall the ‘Park Life’ era but there is also an air of faded glory about it. It is a reflective album that is not unafraid to be vulnerable and show its wounds. Damian has called it his “break-up album” and there is a noticeable atmosphere of reluctant acceptance and overt sadness.
Like the Stones album, this is Blur being Blur. But you soon realise that Blur were never about ladness and lager, no matter how closely associated they were to the jingoism of brit pop. Instead, Blur was and are an introspective art pop outfit, using solemn melody to tell tales from the heart. A marvellous return to form.
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