Gothic Theatre
Blur
Initially spat out from the Manchester retro-funk “baggy” scene, Blur rose through the ranks of the British pop world with the force of an ascending comet. Led by Damon Albarn’s clever lyrics and melodies and Graham Coxon’s inventive guitar work, this band of upper-middle-class school chums have created a catalog of characters who are thoroughly British, and often thoroughly twisted. Citing the sordid tales of Martin Amis’ book London Fields as one of their inspirations (along with Madness, XTC and the Kinks), Blur (with bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree) have gone from strength to strength, conquering the U.K., and finally America.
Though Leisure offered catchy ditties like “She’s So High” and “There’s No Other Way,” it was Modern Life Is Rubbish that gave Blur their footing and identity. Through intelligent, sparkling arrangements and driving melodies, Albarn’s incisive sociological commentary signaled the arrival of an original voice in British pop. A child of the London theater scene, Albarn scored like a playwright, penning desperate types given life by Coxon’s stinging guitar witticisms and Rowntree’s creative drum pummel. Parklife made Blur undeniable stars in England, a stylistically diverse album that cranked up the meter for youths in pubs hoisting their pints to Blur’s ultra-catchy, Anglo-centric songs. The record also initiated Blur’s battle with Manchester rivals Oasis, pitting their sophisticated sagas against Oasis’ working-class epics. Emboldened by their U.K. success, Blur broadened their horizons on The Great Escape, growing more creative and confident. Albarn continued to delve into the dark underbelly of British society, often with touching and hilarious results. The rollicking “Country House” describes a wealthy businessman (“I’m a professional cynic, but my heart’s not in it”) living on prescription drugs and herbal baths; “Stereotypes” cavorts with wife-swapping suburbanites; the lovely “Best Days” is a sad, reflective song with beautiful guitar from Coxon; “The Universal” is a Burt Bacharach-styled extravaganza praising a Soma-like drug found in the next century. The Great Escape is an outstanding, vivid album of deft character studies and musical styles.
Deemed losers in their battle with globe-conquering Oasis, though they had sold millions of records at home, Blur reinvented themselves again for the self-titled Blur. Seen as a sellout at home for its Beck-Pavement influences, the U.S. suddenly embraced Blur and the single “Song 2.” Over a wacky chorus of “wee hoo” and burly, distorted guitar, Albarn sang about feeling “heavy metal” as the song lurched from lo-fi verses to bludgeoning choruses. Blur had found U.S. success not by shoving their Anglo tendencies down America’s throat, but by approximating U.S. folk, country, punk and grunge. A quirky album for sure, it also contained the beauteous “Beetlebum,” the surrealistic ballad “Strange News From Another Star,” and “Look Inside America.” Here, Blur gaze at America and think aloud, “She’s all right, she’s all right,” as harps glissando in stereo and a ’70s hard rock guitar solo drains from a car radio. Blur has proven that intelligent pop, highly crafted and individual, still has a place in an era of diminishing musical expectations.
Coxon released his first solo album, The Sky Is Too High, on his own Transcopic label in 1998. The guitarist wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on the album, which was recorded in five days.
In a break with tradition, the band chose not to record 1999’s experimental 13 with longtime producer Stephen Street, who manned the console for all five of its previous albums. Replacing Street was William Orbit, whose credits include Madonna’s Ray Of Light. The album’s lead single, “Tender,” featured a gospel choir, while the rest of the skitters about with well-executed sonic adventures.
Coxon unleashed two more solo efforts, 2000’s Crow Sit On Blood Tree and 2002’s The Kiss Of Morning, while Albarn scored a hit as a member of virtual hip-hop collective Gorillaz in 2001 and spearheaded the world music experiment Mali Music in 2002.
Tensions came to a head when Blur regrouped in the fall of 2002 to record Think Tank, and Coxon left the band, with the remaining members of Blur opting to carry on as a trio.
This Biography was written by Ken Micallef
