The latest album from British pop artists Blur is nothing like their projects of the past. While it shares some similarities with their previous and self-titled last album, this collage is unique, deep, dark, and wonderful. 13 is an introspective melodic ride through the troubled mind of frontman Damon Albarn. His much-publicized break up with longtime girlfriend, Elastica’s Justine Frischmann, and the continuing war with Oasis has boiled over into a mishmash of rock mockery. You would never know that notorious techno producer William Orbit, best known for reinventing Madonna on Ray Of Light, had his hands all over 13.
The album strikes you right from the beginning with “Tender”, a gospel/rock song. “Tender is the touch/ of someone that you love too much/ tender is the day/ the demons go away/ lord I need to find/ someone who can heal my mind”. Next, the choir breaks into “come on come on come on/ get through it/ come on come on come on/ love’s the greatest thing that we have/ I’m waiting for that feeling to come”. Then the song completely strays from the typical verse-chorus-verse into “oh my baby/ oh my baby/ oh my/ oh my”, which is reminiscient of Spiritualized’s atypical style. Albarn is working his troubled mind and discontent for the structure that pop music holds him to.
“Bugman” seems like business as usual. It is the same shoe Blur wore on “Song 2” from their last album. “Coffee and TV” starts off with a Creedence Clearwater Revival riff, but quickly Albarn’s vocals slow the song down. The tempo threatens to run away from him, but Albarn steadies the onslaught for a chorus filled with his high-pitched vocals. Though the buzzing guitar solo crunch throughout is completely out of character for this song, it is still beautiful.
It seems the battle lines have been drawn and Blur is ready for war. “Swamp Song” is an obvious dig at their archenemies, Oasis, who previously released “The Swamp Song” on (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. The intro starts with Albarn blurting a distorted ‘bullshit’ and adds lyrics like “I live forever”. Then Albarn seems to be laughing at Oasis’ lack of success on their last disc, Be Here Now, while chanting “la la la” and wagging their tongues at Oasis’ mock-epic “All Around The World” and its cocky “nah-nah-nah”. Blur’s battle doesn’t end there; they also throw down the gloves and go kicking and screaming at their overseas parent label EMI on “B.L.U.R.E.M.I.”.
Seeing that “Trailer Park” was originally written for the South Park album, it makes you a bit unsure as to whether you should take the song seriously. Though the song has a dark, serious tone, the lyric “I lost my girl to the Rolling Stones” is a bizarre means to an end. The album toys continuously with your psyche. “Caramel” clocks on with bizarre atonal sounds and Albarn chirping throughout. The song brings back the ’60’s psychedelic sounds of the Doors, while guitarist Graham Coxon is finally unleashed to jam with pure abandonment. Albarn also puts forth a good impression of Beck on “Mellow Song”
In stripping themselves of their pop moniker, Blur has found the way back to their artistic roots. It’s hard to believe that the boys went from “Country House” to “Trailer Park”; the comparison is stunning.
+ rae gun
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