As a response to the dominance of grunge in the U.K. and their own decreasing profile in their homeland -- and also as a response to Suede's sudden popularity -- Blur reinvented themselves with their second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish, abandoning the shoegazing and baggy influences that dominated Leisure for raditional pop. On the surface, Modern Life may appear to be an homage to the Kinks, David Bowie, the Beatles, and Syd Barrett, yet it isn't a restatement, it's a revitalization. Blur use British guitar pop from the Beatles to My Bloody Valentine as a foundation, spinning off tales of contemporary despair. If Damon Albarn weren't such a clever songwriter, both lyrically and melodically, Modern Life could have sunk under its own pretensions, and the latter half does drag slightly. However, the record teems with life, since Blur refuse to treat their classicist songs as museum pieces. Graham Coxon's guitar tears each song open, either with unpredictable melodic lines or layers of translucent, hypnotic effects, and his work creates great tension with Alex James' kinetic bass. And that provides Albarn a vibrant background for his social satires and cutting commentary. But the reason Modern Life Is Rubbish is such a dynamic record and ushered in a new era of British pop is that nearly every song is carefully constructed and boasts a killer melody, from the stately "For Tomorrow" and the punky "Advert" to the vaudeville stomp of "Sunday Sunday" and the /p>
eo-psychedelic "Chemical World." Even with its flaws, it's a record of considerable vision and excitement. [The American version of Modern Life Is Rubbish substitutes the demo version of "Chemical World" for the studio version on the British edition. It also adds the superb single "Pop Scene" before the final song, "Resigned."]
I'm in a bit of a rush tonight because I'm looking after some teeeeeeny, two week-old kittens we found in the ceiling at work today! What? I know. They need bottle fed and everything...hopefully tomorrow someone from the Treehouse (a Chicago no-kill cat sanctuary) will take over because it's really stressful being in charge of these little beans.Anyway there's no explanation of this song needed...
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Okay, so, music is a big part of my life. As a matter of fact, music has helped me through some bad periods, made me more euphoric about good times, and with quite many a song, band, or album there are connotations, for better or worse.Therefore, I decided to draw up my year by album. Which is as simple as that I review the album that is my favourite of the week, for whatever reason which, obvi...
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Admitedly at this stage there doesn't seem to be anything concrete concerning a Blur reunion but seemingly for the first time in this millenium Graham Coxon is enthusiastic about Blur. As brilliant as some of the projects Blur members have been involved with (and I still want to hear a full album from Alex James' 'Wigwam' project with Betty Boo) to have all the band together for the first time ...
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O.K, it sold modestly reaching number 15 in the UK charts, but I really feel that this album was the foundation for the spectacular success that followed, shaping the musical dynamic that would bring "Parklife", "The Great Escape" and the band's legacy as the prime innovators of Britpop. For that reason alone, I always feel that it's one of the most valuable recordings of the 1990s.Frankly, "Le...
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Okay, so, music is a big part of my life. As a matter of fact, music has helped me through some bad periods, made me more euphoric about good times, and with quite many a song, band, or album there are connotations, for better or worse.Therefore, I decided to draw up my year by album. Which is as simple as that I review the album that is my favourite of the week, for whatever reason which, obvi...
More >
I'm in a bit of a rush tonight because I'm looking after some teeeeeeny, two week-old kittens we found in the ceiling at work today! What? I know. They need bottle fed and everything...hopefully tomorrow someone from the Treehouse (a Chicago no-kill cat sanctuary) will take over because it's really stressful being in charge of these little beans.Anyway there's no explanation of this song needed...
More >
Admitedly at this stage there doesn't seem to be anything concrete concerning a Blur reunion but seemingly for the first time in this millenium Graham Coxon is enthusiastic about Blur. As brilliant as some of the projects Blur members have been involved with (and I still want to hear a full album from Alex James' 'Wigwam' project with Betty Boo) to have all the band together for the first time ...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 For Tomorrow |
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| 2 Advert |
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| 3 Colin Zeal |
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| 4 Pressure on Julian |
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| 5 Star Shaped |
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| 6 Blue Jeans |
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| 7 Chemical World |
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| 8 Intermission |
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| 9 Sunday Sunday |
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| 10 Oily Water |
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| 11 Miss America |
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| 12 Villa Rosie |
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| 13 Coping |
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| 14 Turn It Up |
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| 15 Pop Scene |
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| 16 Resigned |
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| 17 Commercial Break |
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| 18 [Silence] |
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| 19 [Silence] |
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| 20 [Silence] |
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| 21 [Silence] |
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| 22 [Silence] |
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| 31 [Silence] |
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| 32 [Silence] |
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| 33 [Silence] |
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| 38 [Silence] |
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| 40 [Silence] |
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| 41 [Silence] |
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| 42 [Untitled Hidden Track] |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Modern Life Is Rubbish")
