An album review of Britpop band Blur's first album in more than a decade, The Magic Whip.
The battle for the top of the Britpop bands began in the 90s, presumably between Blur and Oasis.
Both groups — well, hard to call Oasis a group at the moment — haven’t set a truce, nor have they declared war. It’s been more of a “one-up” sort of fight fought on the airways.
While Oasis continues to quarrel amongst its own band members — the Gallagher brothers — eventually leading to a “gentleman’s agreement,” Blur has released its first album in a decade.
The Magic Whip is a 2015 album. It’s filled with electronic sounds and piped in with effects foreign to the British band two decades ago.
On the opening track “Lonesome Street,” the guitar slide at the beginning fizzes up to a high-step romp.
When lead singer Damon Albarn sings, “We’re going up, up, up up up/ Coursing on our greatest night,” it suggests the band is on the rise again. In fact, “Lonesome Street” and The Magic Whip debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. charts. Even Oasis singer Liam Gallagher said it was the song of the year.
The first song isn’t the album’s climax, but it’s a high point of energy that quickly slides down over the next three or four songs.
”Ice Cream Man,” a song layered with effects, sounds more like Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.” than “Song 2” or any punk-driven song from the past.
The band’s eighth album evokes sounds of somberness, with Albarn singing of loneliness and, in some cases, numbness.
In “Thought I Was a Spaceman,” Albarn sings, “Thought I found my black box/ Washed up on the shore/ All outlying islands/ What’s the land for?”
Two tracks later, “My Terracotta Heart” reiterates heartbreak, with Albarn repeating in the chorus, “I’m running out of heart today/ I’m running out of open road to you.”
“There Are Too Many Of Us” resembles an anthem fitting for a march toward a guillotine — perfect for the song title.
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But then the mood slightly changes as the album inches closer to its conclusion.
“Ghost Ship” begins with a horn section and transcends into a slow, hypnotizing groove with silky guitar riffs.
Perhaps the climax of the album is “Ong Ong,” a love song mirroring “Lonesome Street” but full of happiness and comfort. Albarn sings, “I’m feeling the love of you.” It’s not one of the album’s three singles, but it sounds as if it were written to climb the pop charts.
Recently, Albarn invited new Oasis singer and brother of Liam, Noel Gallagher, to collaborate in the future. Gallagher dismissed the offer, saying he would be amazed if either of them “ever had time to make that work.”
After The Magic Whip, maybe it’s Oasis who needs to follow up with the request. It’s currently losing the war.
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohio.edu
