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Critic Reviews
90
There might be dark overtones to the record, but the band sounds positively joyous, not only in making noise but wreaking havoc with the expectations of its audience and critics.
13y
83
For reasons known only to its members, the heretofore all-too-twee British quartet has decided to refashion itself as a U.S. college-rock band, citing Pavement as a chief influence. It’s a puzzling move, given the current musical climate in which guitar bands are nervously scrambling to jump on the electronica bandwagon, but Blur pull it off.
10y
81
Recorded partially in self-imposed exile in Iceland, it is a post-success record, what happens when the odd burdens of mega-fame don't destroy a band but instead sends it diving into uncharted waters. It is 1995's hangover.
12y
80
With Blur, this glossy pop band rethinks its craft.
11y
80
Having exhausted both Englishness and the novelty of fame, Blur were open to subverting their pop songcraft with the scruffier lo-fi priorities of Coxon's new alt-rock passions.
3y
70
The characters, the drama, the moments of unexpected beauty that Damon Albarn trainspotted and transformed from the regular commuter service of popular culture into his metropolitan theatre have run dry, and 'Blur' is where we find him taking stock of what he has achieved and moving on.
11y
70
No amount of gratuitous distortion or mumbling could disguise the truth that, in attempting to embrace their public perception as big losers, Blur have stumbled over the most accomplished record of their career.
11y
60
In the end Blur is probably at least a partial failure, in the main because the band's identity is still being recreated. But mark this one down for some reassessment in a few years and a few albums, when retrospectively it could mean much more.
2y
40
Tragically, in their desperate appeal to be loved by everyone, they've wound up with a chaotic mess of an album. It's doubtful whether even the members of Space could make sense of it, let alone the dedicated Blur-watchers who were counting on another Parklife.
2y
I'm sorry Britpop, I wasn't familiar with your game...
As I think I've already made clear plenty of times, I'm kind of a big Gorillaz fan. They helped me to discover diverse styles of music and they've made some of my personal favorite albums ever. That being said, I've never really seen much of what Damon Albarn has done outside of the band's work, even though he was mainly known for being part of the British band right here, "Blur". I have been ... read more
This is one of the more dark, brooding and angsty records Blur has ever made. And while it's dark and brooding, it doesn't mean it's ugly. It fact, it's quite pretty when it wants to be.
Favorite Jams: Chinese Bombs, M.O.R., Beetlebum
Lest Favorite: Theme From Retro
To so effortlessly shift from their britpop staple to such a noisier sound should really have been the first major sign for Damon Albarn that he was ready to move past the limits of what the band once asked of him. And from the results here, it's clearly an upgrade well worth every investment.
Well, it's a solid record, it kicks things off strongly, with a great run from "Beetlebum" to "You're So Great" (with onnly "M.O.R." tainting it a bit), but from "Death of a Party" to "Look Inside America", it just sounds so uninteresting and uneven. "Strange News from Another Star" barely saves itself due to its nince build-up and outro. I appreciate the diversity, it was super nice trying to guess what the hell was the band ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Beetlebum 5:05 | 94 |
| 2 | Song 2 2:01 | 94 |
| 3 | Country Sad Ballad Man 4:50 | 84 |
| 4 | M.O.R. 3:27 | 84 |
| 5 | On Your Own 4:26 | 83 |
| 6 | Theme from Retro 3:36 | 76 |
| 7 | You're So Great 3:35 | 86 |
| 8 | Death of a Party 4:33 | 89 |
| 9 | Chinese Bombs 1:24 | 78 |
| 10 | I'm Just a Killer for Your Love 4:11 | 77 |
| 11 | Look Inside America 3:50 | 83 |
| 12 | Strange News from Another Star 4:03 | 84 |
| 13 | Movin' On 3:42 | 83 |
| 14 | Essex Dogs 8:10 | 79 |
Total Length: 56 minutes
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3d
how the fuck is beetlebum only a 94 its one of the most beautiful songs ive ever heard
