Blur: The Magic Whip

Brit-pop legends Blur haven't released any new material in a while, in fact, they only released a small string of singles in the time between their last full length Think Tank and their latest album The Magic Whip. But that's not surprising since half the band went on to release rather successful solo material, especially lead singer Damon Albarn, who masterminded the incredibly popular animated band Gorrilaz. In fact, I'd say that Albarn's solo material is of particular importance to this new full length by Blur, since the album tends to be a bit more gloomy than past Blur albums.

Tracks like "New World Towers" would have fit perfectly on Everyday Robots, the solo LP that Albarn put out a while ago. That doesn't mean that The Magic Whip simply comes off like an Albarn album, because unlike that solo material, the band brings a lot more detail and life into these tracks, so even when electronics pop up or Damon pens a gloomy melody, he is backed up by a great rhythm section and even some nice guitar solos.

At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the more depressed sound of this album since I've been becoming tired of Damon Albarn's tendency to be rather dreary, but like I said before, the rest of the band really balances things out and even the lyrics and melodies are sharper than they have been on recent Albarn solo projects. Though I wouldn't say there is a clear unifying theme to the album, there are tracks like "There Are Too Many Of Us" that aim at exploring certain feelings; in this case, the feeling of isolation that one can experience even in the midst of a crowd.

While the album is going for a more slowed down and contemplative tone, there are a handful of more upbeat tracks here, nearly all of which work incredibly well. "Lonesome Street" and "I Broadcast" are what I would consider classic Blur tracks, with bright guitars, energetic drumming, and group vocals that instantly reminded me of tracks from Parklife or Modern Life Is Rubbish. However, my favorite of these more energetic tracks is the penultimate track, "Ong Ong" which just has such a gloriously upbeat feeling to it, and the constant stream of 'la la la's and harmonized chorus are just irresistibly catchy.

Despite having some reservations with the more somber atmosphere, I can safely say that I think this new Blur album is great. It doesn't really come together as an 'album' but it does offer some really great tracks that I'll be returning to for the remainder of the year.

8.5/10