ALBUM REVIEW: The Magic Whip

The long awaited new Blur album, The Magic Whip, was released last week and is a fantastic addition to their discography.  I was asked repeatedly by my readers when my review was going to be online...now, I hadn't planned on writing one but since so many people asked I decided I'd better! I posted it on my main blog and rather than reposting it here, I figured I would share the link so you can head over there to read it. HERE it is...let me know what you think of the album in the comments either there or here...enjoy!

Blur and the Magic Whip

In light of the exciting new news last week that Blur will be releasing a new album in April, I've written about it and my feelings toward it on my personal blog. Please go to THIS LINK to read all about it!

(I am in the process of deciding whether to leave this as a standalone blog or whether to merge it with my personal blog since I write about loads of things there, including Blur. I'll be sure to keep readers of this blog up to date if/when that happens).

Damon live at Royale, Boston (June 9, 2014): A Concert Review

As promised, here it is, my review of last night's show...it was fantastic!

http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/06/damon-albarn-live-at-royale-boston-june.html

TONIGHT: Damon at the Royale, Boston

I posted this on my personal blog and wanted to share it here...I'm going to see Damon tonight in Boston and thought it would be fun to dig up my old reviews from when I saw Blur in 2003 and Gorillaz in 2010, so here they are! I'll post my review of tonight's show later on in the week.

http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/06/preview-damon-albarn-at-royale-in.html

New Album from Hong Kong?

The big news from this week is that onstage in Hong Kong, Damon told the crowd that since their Japanese and Tapei gigs got cancelled, they may spend the free week recording a new album. See the video in this article for the actual quote:

http://www.nme.com/news/blur--2/70142

Or if you just want to see the video:

What do you think? Are you getting your hopes up, or being a bit cynical and skeptical (like me) that this is just Damon saying another thing that ends up not happening? What do you think? Either way, it's made for some interesting debate!

The Big Announcement - Be There July 2!

This morning, Blur finally revealed what is going on with their new songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GezUSuIHSC8

There will be a live global webcast on July 2 where Blur will play the two new songs (with an interview in between). The double A-side will then be available for download, with a limited edition 7" version of it available for purchase online August 6.

This summer keeps getting better and better!

Another New Blur Song - "The Puritan"

Last night Damon performed at the POEM 2012 event in London, and debuted another new Blur song (on acoustic guitar) along with a coupleo of song's from his "Dr. Dee" album.  The title is purported to be "The Puritan."

Link to the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zpRDUCF60Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

So what do you think? Comment below with your opinion!

All We Want

Leave it to NME to lead with a totally inaccurate teaser ("We have BIG news about the new upcoming Blur album!" they posted on Facebook and Twitter) before pulling their classic bait and switch.

The real headline: "Damon halted new Blur recording sessions." William Orbit claims Damon stopped the sessions and was "kinda a shit to the rest of Blur." It all sounds like sour grapes and I don't want to get too much into it...none of us know what really happened so it's pointless to conjecture. You can read it for yourself here:

http://www.nme.com/news/blur/63943

However, Damon *did* say they'd play "one or two" new songs, so perhaps this new music will eventually see he light of day...we can only hope so!

SNEAK PEAK: Under the Westway

From TV earlier this week, here's Damon playing about half of the forthcoming Blur song "Under the Westway" on piano. It's quite beautiful, and I cannot wait to hear it with the full Blur treatment.

Have a listen and let me know what you think!

Trouble in the Message Centre

After stating over the last few weeks that Blur and Gorillaz were most likely finished after this summer, Damon said in an interview yesterday that that's not the case. Head over to my Facebook or Twitter pages for more links to the interviews.

So which is it? I'm getting confused and annoyed by all of this back and forth!

COMPLETE set from tonight's gig:

Here's the complete set from tonight:

New Blur Material (UPDATE)

Tonight, Damon and Graham appeared at the War Child UK show tonight and played a short, 3-song set, that included He Thought of Cars, Under the Westway (a brand new song!), and Strange News From Another Star.  There is massive anticipation that Blur will play the new song when they collect their BRIT award on Tuesday and play a short set themselves.  See the video below of the new song, and let me know what you think.  I like it, but am looking forward to hearing it in a full band setting (and hopefully, on a new album!). 

More Blur News...More Early Christmas Gifts for Fans!

After months and months of NO news, all of a sudden a flurry of Blur activity.  Damon mentioned some time ago they'd like to tour the USA again, Alex says in an interview a few days ago that they'll most likely record after Christmas, the Blur website is getting a design overhaul today, there's now an official Twitter account to go along with their official Facebook page, and now, Blur will be awarded a "lifetime achievement"-type award at the Brit Awards next year.

There's already speculation as to which songs (and how many) they'll play at the ceremony.

But what it's all adding up to is that something is afoot for 2012...how big and what it is is still a mystery, but this can only be good news for Blur fans, so stay tuned!

New Alex James interview...

On NME.com today...the headline is what'll grab you:

'Blur are meeting up over Christmas – and we'll probably record again' 

 It's actually a pretty poor interview in and of itself, but some interesting tidbits. I think the momentum is building and it's only a matter of time before 2012 will see SOMETHING come out of the Blur camp, whether it's a new album, EP, single, tour, festival appearance(s), something.  It makes too much sense *NOT* to happen in 2012.  Gorillaz is done, Graham's got his newest album ready for release (whenever that'll be), Alex is still a cheesemaking farmer, and Dave is still involved with politics and running for MP as it pops up in London.

 Something new from Blur in 2012 would just feel *right*, in my opinion...

(Did anyone else cringe when Alex made the "getting the Blues Brothers back together" analogy?)

Coming soon...

...the next (and final) two in the series of Top Blur Moments on Record for Alex and Dave. It's been a crazy week or two but it should settle down soon. Thanks for being patient!

Top Blur Moments on Record

In addition to Blur's live stuff, I like to talk about their studio stuff from time to time on here because, let's face it: a) it's great, and b) without the studio stuff, there would be no live stuff in the first place! I was thinking lately that it might be interesting to try and choose the top 10 moments on record for each member of the band, being that they are all incredible and unique talents in their own right and that their meshing together in this band is a perfect blend. Like all great bands, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. And let me add that it will be impossible for me (and I assume any other Blur fan who visits here) to choose *just* 10 moments for each member. Personally, these will be the top 10 I'm thinking of and that I'm enjoying AT THIS MOMENT...it certainly can and will change in the future.

So first up...Damon Albarn!

For those new here who may not know much about Blur, Damon is the lead singer, keyboardist, acoustic guitarist, and songwriter in Blur. This list will focus on his lead vocals, since that is his main "instrument" played within the band.






































My top 10 Damon Albarn moments on record:

1. "The Universal"
2. "This is a Low"
3. "All We Want"
4. "Tender"
5. "Beetlebum"
6. "Ambulance"
7. "Battery in Your Leg"
8. "Popscene"
9. "For Tomorrow"
10. "Black Book"

What are yours?