Blur - Blur (Food) The mere mention of the word Blur is likely to conjure up stereotypes associated with Britpop's melange of bands headed by the indomitable Oasis.
Blur came off second best in the 'battle of the bands' and Damon Albarn and company shied away from the spotlight - opting for a year-long hiatus in Iceland. Perhaps it is the weather, but the outcome of that self-imposed exile is this cool-headed long-player, the group's fifth and probably their most inventive.
Those fond of Blur's quirky Kinks-esque pop may find this album a tougher nut to crack, with the band leaning towards the Big Apple rather than Bethnal Green for inspiration. The opening track and feeler single, Beetlebum, smacks of the slack of lo-fi exponents Pavement, while a mere shadow of Nirvana can be detected in the explosive Song 2.
Diversity reigns, with the album swinging from distorted, riff-laden songs (Chinese Bombs, Movin' On ) to shadowy trips to Tricky-land (Essex Dogs ). No traces remain of their Brit-championing history with the possible exception of Look Inside America.
There are no updates on Girls and Boys or Country House, and this may see them shed large numbers of fans who jumped on the bandwagon at the height of Britpop hype. Lyricist Albarn's dissection of the anomalies of British life have been left behind as he instead displays a more introspective bent on such tunes as Country Sad Ballad Man and Death Of A Party. With guitarist Graham Coxon in the best form of his career, this album may yet be the one that sees Blur crack the tough American market.
