You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Saw them at Wembley. Incredible gig. Reviews of the album look good too.
I've got the cd (I know,.Im old) on order..... Really looking forward to it.
Yeah liked the first single
Good interview with Damon and Graham yesterday on Steve Lurpak.
Usually I'm a hard sell on these comeback type albums from middle aged bands that I used to like back in the day but actually, hearing a few tracks off this it sounds excellent.
Thanks for the reminder - i will now.
Odd fact: I had a night out with Alex James in pub in Brighton in the late 90's through a friend who knew him and i did not clock on who he was until midway through the night when she told me.
I've only just clocked that this thread exists because the album is out tomorrow! Thought it was months away... time flies... might have to find an actual record store at the weekend.
I don't know what song it is but the band repeat everything Damon says.
It's really ****ing annoying.
I love the single – it is up there with the best stuff they've written and, if you didn't know anything about them, could easily fit in as a track on Modern Life is Rubbish.
I struggle with Blur simply on the basis of what a wannabe, fake, pretentious arse i find Damien Allbran to be. Something about him really irritates me. Like those 1st year students you meet at uni who seem to have reinvented their entire tissue thin personality.
Just how he comes across. I don't know him nor have i ever met him.
Not sure you're a 'wannabe' if you play Wembley on consecutive nights.
Never really understood the pretentious labelling either; it's not something that can be levelled at Blur, so is it his operas, solo albums, soundtrack work or Gorillaz?
Anyways, frontmen can't all be one dimensional.
a wannabe, fake, pretentious arse i find Damien Allbran to be. Something about him really irritates me.
Conversely, Damon Albarn has always been my man-crush.
Yeah liked the first single
"She's So High"? Me too! got it on 7". Can't say I'm bothered about them these days. I did see a photo of them with Jo Whiley though and I never realised she was so tiny!
I struggle with Blur
Same. Did in the 90s too when I was much more an Oasis fan (although I generally loathe their music now and don't get me started on the absolute dross they've produced as individuals).
so is it his operas, solo albums, soundtrack work or Gorillaz?
Yeah, i find that side far more irksome than his core Blur stuff. Musically I don't mind Blur at all.
But I'm going to assume you're OK with Henry Rollins transformation and side gigs
I'll give it a listen- I've been listening to some old Blur and it's lasted an awful lot better than any other BritPop
Just had my copy in the post 😁
Was not massively a Blur fan bitd, but the new single was good and the new Album's got Gourock on the front cover so I pre-ordered the vinyl.
Arriving today apparently, looking forward to the needle drop.
Completely unrelated to the music or the band, but is the 'ballard of darren' the best or possibly worst album title you've heard recently??
No idea 'till I've heard the album. Could be perfect for it, or could be random nonsense.
It's a specfic reference to their head of security, so it's not random. But appreciate it seems a bit odd.
Im in the "looking forward to it" camp, especially after watching one of their Wembley shows on Youtube the other night. Was never a massive fan, but always kind of glad they were there and had some great stuff, but had forgotten just how good they (and their songs) were. Loved every track, including the new stuff. Bring it on i say...also Graham Coxon is a great guitarist IMO...
Cheers for the heads up. Love the latest single and my current biking playlist is getting very over played. Be nice to have something new to listen to
Saw them BITD at the Irish Club in Birmingham.
Remember Damon going off on one and climbing up the huge monitor stack and swinging off the stage lights on the ceiling. Good times.
Even at the time I remember thinking all of the Blur versus Oasis stuff was just complete ballcocks made up and fuelled by the media. Listened to them both at the time but Oasis rapidly disappeared up their own bums.
Remember Damon going off on one and climbing up the huge monitor stack and swinging off the stage lights on the ceiling. Good times
First time I saw them was around the time of she's so high, at Dudley JBs (£3 on a Friday night). He was swinging from the pipe over the stage that night...I remember they were good live compared to the other shit we saw there (Manic Street Preachers possibly the worst band that came to Dudley)
I'll give it a listen. They're one of a few bands I really didn't have much time for back in the day but I've come to appreciate them more since. That best of album with the faces on the cover is full of good stuff.
Liking the two tracks so far released. Got a ticket to their Hammersmith gig on Tuesday too. Long time fan, thought the Magic Whip was good as their last “comeback”. This will be my first time seeing them live, had tickets to Wembley but sold them to see Lana del Rey with my daughter instead. As good as that was (and that was intense!) I thought I’d missed out so extremely happy to have got a ticket. Anyone else going to be there?
Yes will be at Hammersmith with my daughter, somewhere up in the gods, but she was delighted to get anything
Usually I’m a hard sell on these comeback type albums from middle aged bands that I used to like back in the day but actually, hearing a few tracks off this it sounds excellent.
You do realise they’ve released albums more recently than the 90’s, also, aren’t bands allowed to get older, have side projects, other interests and reconvene when they feel they’ve got something new and interesting to say, instead of just repeating the same turgid nonsense they’ve always done. Like Oasis, for example…
As it’s now Friday, I’ve just checked my Apple Music library, and the whole album has downloaded, so I’m just going to put my headphones on and listen to the whole thing. Certainly the reviews have been very good from my usual trusted sources.
And when I saw them at the IoW Festival in 2015 as part of the ‘Magic Whip’ tour, I was blown away by just how good they were, and Damon worked his ass off on stage. Having Phil Daniels come on for ‘Park Life’ absolutely made the weekend, too.
You do realise they’ve released albums more recently than the 90’s
Yes of course.
Damon's side/other projects have obviously been hugely successful and acclaimed. I love a lot of the stuff Graham Coxon has produced too and I imagine Alex's cheese is lush.
aren’t bands allowed to get older, have side projects, other interests and reconvene when they feel they’ve got something new and interesting to say, instead of just repeating the same turgid nonsense they’ve always done.
Again, yes of course. We all get older. Producing something new and interesting is what we want, and definitely not a poor attempt to recreate the original magic, which is kind of what I meant.
I just find that a few artists that were fantastic back then, and release things now in this wave of reforms we are enjoying can have a tendency to taint the 'of-the-time' greatness they once had.
*I'm looking at you Pixies
Avalon. Great track.
Very good album. Very very good.
I'm all for it. big Damon Albarn fanboy. Hopefully the zoetrope vinyl lands on my doorstep this weekend
Managed to get a copy of the album on crazy zoetrope vinyl...
https://blood-records.co.uk/products/blur
So how does it work with Spotify - is it instantly on there on release?
It’s on Spotify now. I listened to it at work earlier. I like the narcissist anyway, but it wasn’t, for me, an instant wow, like Magic Whip was.
Will give it more listens though, as I do like Blur. (Couldn’t find anyone to come and see them at Wembley with me, so didn’t go)
thought the Magic Whip was good
My favourite Blur album. There is an interesting documentary on YouTube about the making of the album, which was a series of songs written whilst they were stuck in Japan. The songs were put to one side until Graham Coxon encouraged Damon to put them together/record them and release as an album.
<p>Well, I enjoyed the live play through but the highlight of the night for me was the encore of Pyongyang. Barbaric and The Narcissist the only two real standout tracks on the new album for me. </p>
I enjoyed the gig and more importantly my daughter had a great time. I hadn’t heard the album before and had only heard the Narcissist on the radio so wasn’t sure what to expect, definitely a bit of melancholy and reflection in the songs, but looking forward to rehearing it a few times.
I like the new album - probably not that objective as I have been a fan of Blur since She’s So High, saw them at Wembley on Saturday 8 July, Wolverhampton Civic in 2012, Hyde Park in 2008 and several times back in the day. I was one of those people who bought the singles just for the b-sides.
Yes, I too am getting on…
Gave it a listen and oh man, you have to love Damon's voice to enjoy this album! He's so loud in the mix and the instrumentation is so non-descript, his voice is all there is. All one paced and nothing stood out.