Blur

The Magic Whip

Written by: PP on 25/08/2015 22:49:29

Oftentimes when legendary bands return from a lengthy hiatus, they release lackluster comeback albums that are but a shadow of their former production. Not so with Blur, who haven't released a studio album since 2003's "Think Tank". Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Damon Albarn has in the meantime kept busy with a multitude of projects ranging from the experimental electronics of Gorillaz to his soulful solo records under his own moniker, Damon Albarn, not to mention all the other collaborations he has participated in throughout the years. That decade and then some of experience playing other genres has had a tremendous influence on his songwriting, obviously, but "The Magic Whip" nonetheless underlines his magnificent songwriting talent by being an exceptional, albeit significantly different, Blur album overall.

Let's start by saying that if you're here expecting another "Song 2" or a similar metallic alternative rock expression, you ain't gonna find it here. Instead, Blur's newest sounds like the sum of all Albarn experiments old Blur albums included. You have extremely minimalistic, yet soulful material like "Ice Cream Man", where his soothing vocals are the driving force ahead of casual acoustic guitars and playful electronic effects. Opener "Lonesome Street" may be catchy, chillout alternative rock with pop vibes (think majority of Brit rock from the 90s), but even here strong influence from Gorillaz material is present. "New World Towers" follows suit in a similarly minimalistic, electronics-embedded track while keeping alternative rock at the forefront at all times. Actually, "I Broadcast" is probably the one track on the record that echoes the 90s alternative Brit rock the band wrote during Oasis' heyday.

The majority of material is more akin to the touching ballad "There Are Too Many Of Us" instead. It deals with some heavy sociopolitical material lyrically, discussing world overpopulation. Likewise, "Thought I Was A Spaceman" is a quieter track with soft string instruments giving the song a unique atmosphere. Much like the aforementioned track, it feels understated, but the minimalism combined with Albarn's beautiful voice is what makes it work. And here's a key difference to singer-songwriter type of material: these are huge songs with expansive soundscapes easily capable of filling out a stadium despite essentially belonging in the same genre. Typically, fans of Blur's older material shouldn't like this on paper, but Albarn takes good care to make each song enjoyable no matter what your background as he effortlessly traverses across multiple genres and ties all the ends together into a unique expression.

Overall, "The Magic Whip" is one of the strongest comeback albums in recent years. It takes all eras of Blur into consideration, including the hiatus years, and produces an expression that is totally different from past Blur albums while still remaining familiar enough to be instantly recognizable for what it is. With exclusively good tracks, "The Magic Whip" is a contender for some of the top spots at this year's best of lists.

Download: Ice Cream Man, There Are Too Many Of Us, Lonesome Street
For the fans of: Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Beck
Listen: Facebook

Release date 27.04.2015
Parlophone Records

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