chrismoyles.net
- Sun May 04, 2003 4:57 pm
#74046
My seventh blur album, admittedly the first one one i bought was parklife, well not bought, i asked it for xmas 1994 and then in 95 i bought the 2 before them, blur and modern life is rubbish.
some minor chart successes like song 2 and tender aside, the last few years have been a lean period with graham more interested in his own solo albums and damon with the cartoon pop friendly gorillaz. these two egos, well one big one of damons and they parted their ways.
coxon only features on one of the tracks, the last one, battery in my leg. 13, their last official album if you discount their greatest hits, was quite frankly, tuneless nonsense in a faux lets be like radiohead and go all leftfield. noone bought into it. there were only 3 decent songs on it, and they released them so the rest was sheidt.
so enough of the introduction, whats this one like,well its downpoint is that its dull to start, its one of those albums that you hear it first and if you get asked what its like youve completely forgotten what it sounded like, its very incidental in that it doesnt catch your attention. everythings very stripped down in the vocals and theres the odd smattering of those funny strange noises you find on a keyboard. what i really hate is distorted sound for no apparent reason, it just doesnt make any sense to me, its like lets make a really loud noise. they did this on music is my radar and that was utter pish. its like that bit in rockerfellar skank, the bit that ruined it, that long drone that went on for far too long that radio stations cut it completely out of it cos it was too annoying.
drum machines, drum loops and light gentle guitar strumming seem to be in every track, norman cook lends his hand to two tracks and if you werent told the tracks, you could figure them out easily. damon seems to like singing really falsely in a caterwauling voice like he perfected on most of the gorillaz album, it doesnt go really well here.
its making me sound here that i hate this album but no. what 13 really lacked was the basic simplicities of a song which meant a tune, some lyrics and sometimes a chorus. this one thankfully has regained these, that doesnt mean to say theyve found their chirpyness brashness of parklife, they are still going down the kooky angle in some of the tracks, 2 sorta instrumental tracks are on this, when i say sorta i mean there is only one lyric to them that they shout over and over.
could blur cope without their best guitarist, well it seems so. you can feel though that something is missing in every one of the tracks, that its unfinished. that is what blur are probably making it out to be like.
william orbit chips in with one track, orbit was the man behind 13 so i was expecting Sweet Song to be crap. It is in fact the best track on the album to my pleasant surprise. Sweet Song, Good Song and most probably the next single Crazy Beat are the stand out tracks.
Out of Time was probably the right choice as first single but they wont convert any new fans i dont think with this album. All in all, far far much better than 13 but are they missing Coxon, the jury is out.
7/10
nb. copyright of thread title to gaspode
some minor chart successes like song 2 and tender aside, the last few years have been a lean period with graham more interested in his own solo albums and damon with the cartoon pop friendly gorillaz. these two egos, well one big one of damons and they parted their ways.
coxon only features on one of the tracks, the last one, battery in my leg. 13, their last official album if you discount their greatest hits, was quite frankly, tuneless nonsense in a faux lets be like radiohead and go all leftfield. noone bought into it. there were only 3 decent songs on it, and they released them so the rest was sheidt.
so enough of the introduction, whats this one like,well its downpoint is that its dull to start, its one of those albums that you hear it first and if you get asked what its like youve completely forgotten what it sounded like, its very incidental in that it doesnt catch your attention. everythings very stripped down in the vocals and theres the odd smattering of those funny strange noises you find on a keyboard. what i really hate is distorted sound for no apparent reason, it just doesnt make any sense to me, its like lets make a really loud noise. they did this on music is my radar and that was utter pish. its like that bit in rockerfellar skank, the bit that ruined it, that long drone that went on for far too long that radio stations cut it completely out of it cos it was too annoying.
drum machines, drum loops and light gentle guitar strumming seem to be in every track, norman cook lends his hand to two tracks and if you werent told the tracks, you could figure them out easily. damon seems to like singing really falsely in a caterwauling voice like he perfected on most of the gorillaz album, it doesnt go really well here.
its making me sound here that i hate this album but no. what 13 really lacked was the basic simplicities of a song which meant a tune, some lyrics and sometimes a chorus. this one thankfully has regained these, that doesnt mean to say theyve found their chirpyness brashness of parklife, they are still going down the kooky angle in some of the tracks, 2 sorta instrumental tracks are on this, when i say sorta i mean there is only one lyric to them that they shout over and over.
could blur cope without their best guitarist, well it seems so. you can feel though that something is missing in every one of the tracks, that its unfinished. that is what blur are probably making it out to be like.
william orbit chips in with one track, orbit was the man behind 13 so i was expecting Sweet Song to be crap. It is in fact the best track on the album to my pleasant surprise. Sweet Song, Good Song and most probably the next single Crazy Beat are the stand out tracks.
Out of Time was probably the right choice as first single but they wont convert any new fans i dont think with this album. All in all, far far much better than 13 but are they missing Coxon, the jury is out.
7/10
nb. copyright of thread title to gaspode
dave benson phillips
