Blur
Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)

review by: Chris Orcutt
Date: 11/29/00

Blur is a great band. My personal favorite album is "Modern Life is Rubbish" from 1993. It sounds like a full album (instead of a collection of songs), and when I hear one song from the album, it makes me think of another.

I think Blur are doing what the Beatles would be doing if they were around today, and if they were occasionally in a bad mood. These songs, if you listen to them closely, have bizarre chord changes and some odd time signatures but they all somehow stay on the pop side of things. When the band really revs up - like on "Advert" and "Pop Scene" - they tear the house down: crank it and your neighbors will be VERY pissed. They use studio effects really well, but never as a substitute for talent – they're great musicians. "Oily Water" has almost a purring guitar sound, and it sounds like they recorded half of the instruments for "Miss America," put the tape in a washing machine, and then recorded the rest of it. It's a mesmerizing song.

As an added bonus, in the booklet for this CD, all the chord changes are printed with the lyrics. That cracks me up, though I don't really know why. I guess because it shows, along with their great music, that they've got some sizeable balls. Pick this up; you won't be disappointed.