Blur

VIMTV Album Review #432: Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish


Jake: 87/100

Tom: 100/100

Verdict: A British rock classic with consistently stellar songwriting.

Overview: Blur’s second album glorifies what it was to be British in the early 90s. Damon Albarn’s storytelling lyrics celebrate the common Brit from track to track, with a wonderful variety of instrumental moods to match. The biggest downfall of this album is that it’s quite difficult for most people to get into– it’s very long, and will likely sound somewhat the same all the way through on first listen. However, once you start to appreciate the intricacies and unique aspects of each song, every song becomes a standout, and this album becomes hard to stay away from.

Jake’s Track Picks: 

  • 1. For Tomorrow
  • 5. Star Shaped
  • 10. Oily Water
  • 11. Miss America
  • 12. Villa Rosie

Tom’s Track Picks: 

  • 2. Advert
  • 5. Star Shaped
  • 9. Sunday Sunday
  • 11. Miss America
  • 12. Villa Rosie

VIMTV Research Links:

Star Shaped

Villa Rosie

VIMTV Album Review #338: Blur – Blur

Jake: 87/100

Tom: 100/100

Verdict: Recommended if you like Brit-rock that’s noisy and unforgiving. It’s also a long album, so it’s even more necessary that most of the tracks are standouts, which to us, they are. However, if you are a big fan of the band’s first four albums, you may be iffy on this one– it’s very different.

Overview: Blur’s fifth, self-titled album is a brilliant departure from their previous pop-rock classics into the realm of lo-fi and noise driven sounds. The songwriting is still just as great and catchy as the work that made them popular in the first place, but the production and attitude behind the songs make this album much more experimental and rewarding than anything they had ever done.

Jake’s Track Picks: 

  • 1. Beetlebum
  • 5. On Your Own
  • 8. Death Of A Party
  • 11. Look Inside America

Tom’s Track Picks: 

  • 1. Beetlebum
  • 5. On Your Own
  • 7. You’re So Great
  • 8. Death Of A Party
  • 11. Look Inside America

VIMTV Research Links:

Beetlebum

On You’re Own

Blur Interview

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  • Jacob
    #1 written by Jacob  8 months ago

    I guess I’m lucky that my first Blur album was self-titled so there wasn’t really much of a barrier for me to get into them after that. Amazing band, great reviews, guys!

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  • Widipia
    #2 written by Widipia  4 months ago

    Thank you for giving these albums the rates they deserved, I really think that Blur records’ The Great Escape, Modern Life, self-titled & 13 are really underrated in the world of reviewing, and I think that sucks, even if they are not my favourite band from the Brit Pop era. For me, Pulp will always be the best band ever, it’s a personal thought, but there is really no other band from which I love the records so much.
    PS : just saw your review of Jeff Buckley’s Grace, & I think the best cover i’ve ever heard is Johnny Cash’s rendition of NIN’s Hurt. Already one of the most beautiful songs ever, but I think it’s even more moving when Cash sing it.

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