The Great Escape, for all of its many virtues, painted Blur into a corner and there was only one way out -- to abandon the Britpop that they had instigated by bringing the weird strands that always floated through their music to the surface. Blur may superficially appear to be a break from tradition, but it is a logical progression, highlighting the band's rich eclecticism and sense of songcraft. Certainly, they are trying for new sonic territory, bringing in shards of white noise, gurgling electronics, raw guitars, and druggy psychedelia, but these are just extensions of previously hidden elements of Blur's music. What makes it exceptional is how hard the band tries to reinvent itself within its own framework, and the level of which it succeeds. "Beetlebum" runs through the White Album in the space of five minutes; "M.O.R." reinterprets Berlin-era Bowie; "You're So Great," despite the corny title, is affecting lo-fi from Graham Coxon; "Country Sad Ballad Man" is bizarrely affecting, strangled lo-fi psychedelia; "Death of a Party" is an affecting resignation; "On Your Own" is an incredible slice of singalong pop spiked with winding, fluid guitar and synth eruptions; while "Look Inside America" cleverly subverts the traditional Blur song, complete with strings. And "Essex Dogs" is a six-minute slab of free verse and rattling guitar noise. Blur might be self-consciously eclectic, but Blur are at their best when they are trying to live up to their own pretensions, because of Damon Albarn's exceptional sense of songcraft and the band's knack for detailed arrangements that flesh out the songs to their fullest. 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.
No.493 Blur - Blur (1997)The first of 3 Blur long players in my countdown. It sounds American, which is unbelievable, considering that the band, particularly Damon Albarn, had always denounced the rise of grunge music and its domination of the British charts. As legend has it, guitarist Graham Coxon had been "turned around" by soaking up the music of Pavement, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr, and t...
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I just saw this vid on some other guys Mog who didn't even bother to watch this all the way through to the end! If you don't watch this entirely, you miss the whole point! It's f'n hysterical! And they use such a super cool song by one of my fav bands Blur called "Song 2". The guy that posted this has the song listed as Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Need I say more?Anyway, I thought it a c...
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So. I started Taxi! Magazine after a drinking session back in April, and have been working on it ever since, with a lot of goodwill and kind support from volunteer writers who have taken time out to contribute. And today, I finally quit my job to be able to run it full time. It was a job I was extremely unhappy in, so sending out that final email to all staff to say goodbye was the most cathart...
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I just saw this vid on some other guys Mog who didn't even bother to watch this all the way through to the end! If you don't watch this entirely, you miss the whole point! It's f'n hysterical! And they use such a super cool song by one of my fav bands Blur called "Song 2". The guy that posted this has the song listed as Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Need I say more?Anyway, I thought it a c...
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so im leaving in about ten minutes to go fishing with my friends. im tired cuz its early. plus i stayed up pretty late last night watching those clive owen bmw videos. here is one that i love with madonna, and the coolest way blur's song 2 could ever be used... in a sweet car chase. later.
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No.493 Blur - Blur (1997)The first of 3 Blur long players in my countdown. It sounds American, which is unbelievable, considering that the band, particularly Damon Albarn, had always denounced the rise of grunge music and its domination of the British charts. As legend has it, guitarist Graham Coxon had been "turned around" by soaking up the music of Pavement, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr, and t...
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One day, when the spouse came home from working retail, this was the question posed to me, "Wonder how many songs have 'woo hoo' or 'woo woo' as a major component to them?". Thus this little playlist was born.Why is it in THIS list format and not a regular playlist you might ask? Well it's actually very simple - MOG was being persnickety and wouldn't let me make a new playlist - so this is ...
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So. I started Taxi! Magazine after a drinking session back in April, and have been working on it ever since, with a lot of goodwill and kind support from volunteer writers who have taken time out to contribute. And today, I finally quit my job to be able to run it full time. It was a job I was extremely unhappy in, so sending out that final email to all staff to say goodbye was the most cathart...
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To post or not to post?Sure, nothing better to do.
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This is an acoustic version of Blur's 'Beetlebum'. This version was done for an acoustic session in Germany in March of 1997. You can download the song below.Blur - Beetlebum (Live Acoustic Germany March 1997) [zshare]
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Beetlebum |
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| 2 Song 2 |
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| 3 Country Sad Ballad Man |
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| 4 M.O.R. |
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| 5 On Your Own |
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| 6 Theme from Retro |
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| 7 You're So Great |
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| 8 Death of a Party |
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| 9 Chinese Bombs |
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| 10 I'm Just a Killer for Your Love |
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| 11 Look Inside America |
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| 12 Strange News from Another Star |
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| 13 Movin' On |
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| 14 Essex Dogs |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Blur")
