Modern Life Is Rubbish

Banger

this had some nice songs too a few were boring but i enjoyed the album overall

So blur got snubbed by the US and responded with this ode to a Kinksian England. Aside from the sing a long big hitters (eg chemical world) which helped kick off britpop, the rest is quirky and a bit understated, deliberately obtuse perhaps. Albran’s lyrics are a cut above the usual indie dross and Coxon’s blending of new wave / post punk riffs with the 60s canon forged a spiky template that provided inspiration for bands slogging their way to the millennial’s finish line. Blur were right - modern life is rubbish (and remains so) but this oddball album, a distillation of 60s, 70s and 80s Britain, is itself peculiarly modern. Today machines make collages from human endeavour. Yesterday Blur fashioned a stylistic and musical collage from the debris of a broken Britain.

I really rate Blur. Yes, they're pointedly quirky and clever, but it's never annoyed me, because in their case, I'm involved and engaged with it. I guess that's down to the fact that I like the songs themselves. And the musicianship; they're really good. Blur are never boring. I do hear Kinks, but I also hear early Roxy (let's all play our instruments loudly and discordantly at odd moments) and post punk. Great! And that'll do for my review. PS woke up singing La, la, la-li-la this morning 👍

This was new to me and I liked listening to it all the way through - while on a train, as it happens. I’ll listen to it again.

Childish in a fun and experimental way. Enjoyable and unique songs. Still too much Brit bias on the list.

Bueno

4.5 I know it, no haré reviews aquí

I have listened to a lot of Blur, so I'm really confused how I missed this one. Four songs in this is a very different sounding Blur than I'm used to. Pressure on Julian is a jam that pulls punk/grunge influences. Love the bass-heaviness of it with the tempo manipulation at the end. I've definitely heard Chemical World somewhere before -- love the off balanceness of it. It reminds me a bit of some Gershwin compositions I've heard. No time for a detailed review, but I enjoyed this album quite a lot. As I said initially, this sounds very different than most of the Blur I've listened to. Easy 4 / 5 for me.

Albarn sounds like Bowie to start this off. Really digging For Tomorrow. Never got too into Blur but dig all of his other projects. Turns right back into some britpop. I don't hate britpop but it definitely gets old pretty quick for me. Like some of the out there moments in Chemical World and end of Oily Water. Ending with Resigned is great too what a chill guitar back. This is a perfect 3.5 album for me. Raising to 4 cuz I really enjoyed the songs I liked.

There was a train on the cover and euro indie rock boys singing socio-political songs. I love it. Always a bonus when guitars start droning out in dissonant hypnotic abandon too 😌

I'm surprised I don't know more Blur. I never think to listen to them, but this was a great album. Really locked in on sort their own style that fits very much into Alternative. I'm not sure why they weren't bigger in the US honestly.

It's Blur.

Wieder mal so eine Gruppe von der ich bisher noch nichts gehört habe.

I already know I like Blur, casually. I wondered if this would put them to the test. 2 hours of it... was actually quite nice! Put on a miniskirt to slay the supermarket and feel like a mod. It got really good at Resigned (I can see where ghost ship came from) and Popscene, but mostly a decent, groovy album. Peach and Bone Bag were the pits, but it's not all drab towards the end, with some solid and experimental songs both before ending with some blaring Bri'ish tunes

This album felt long, and I didn't even listen to the expanded edition. I feel like I like Blur's music, but I can only listen to one or two songs at a time before I get bored and they all ...blur together (see what I did there?) Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Remember buying this album. It brings back floods of memories about first gigs, first loves and a general excitement for life’s journey ahead!

The nostalgia was strong on this one. At the time, Modern Life is Rubbish felt a little less exciting than the run of albums which followed it - Parklife, The Great Escape, Blur and 13 were attention grabbing, era-defining records whilst Modern Life, by contrast, never felt quite as exciting. It was a pleasant surprise, then, on this re-listen, to find a neat, enjoyable album of decent tunes and great production on the theme of some kind of suburban, possibly now lost England (as Kinks, The Jam and others had sung of before). Who would have thought? Feeling nostalgic for an album about nostalgia?

I liked this one fine on my first listen, but I actually really loved it on my second! A lot of bops, and very cool instrumentation that feels very live and fun. Added several tracks to my liked list! Also some cool, weird, piano work.

I liked this more than expected

It’s a great album but nothing there to call me back to it.

6 / 10 Brit-pop facilón. Agradable de escuchar pero sin más.

Modern life may be rubbish, but this album isn't - although it is probably a bit short of their best work (which is the run of albums after this one). Plenty of good ideas, although unfocused in parts and without the big hit single that would have broken through. One of the defining works of early britpop, defined (by me) as the period before Definitely Maybe when Blur, Suede and Pulp (among others) were trying things out and waiting to catch fire.

Good. Might listen again

Favourite tracks: advert; Colin zeal

Another group I never heard of. I did not like their rendition of Maggie May.

Good album highly enjoyed

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: For tomorrow, Advert, Sunday Sunday, Miss America

Fun album

For tomorrow och Chemical world är riktiga höjdare och i övrigt är det bitvis också bra (typ Blue jeans och Star shaped), men skivan är för lång och det borde ha kapats åtminstone 3-4 utfyllnadslåtar. På totalen blir det en svag fyra.

I was all-in on the Brit Pop stuff in the 90s. I already had the two Blur albums that follow this one before I ever heard “Modern Life…” When I did finally hear it, it was at my friends house while we read West Coast Avengers comics and I immediately loved it. Years later when I finally heard the Kink’s “village green preservation society” and heard the monumental influence on Blue, I was brought back to those good old days as a kid spending my afternoons listening to CDs and reading comics after basketball practice.

High school me wants to rate this so high. Love early blur so much, but there are a few songs that miss a bit on the record. Advert is just awesome on relisten. Blue Jeans, Star shaped, miss america have raised in my estimation. still like the hits. our local radio station would only play chemical world from blur when I was a teenager, not there's no other way, nothing from parklife. Very weird that was. Except they carried the rock-over-london show on sunday nights at 11pm and I heard a live sunday sunday rendition. 4/5 (high school me says 500000000000000/5)

Glad I heard it. I like it. 4.5 stars

Nice, I am liking it! 4 Stars

I enjoyed this album a lot! I forgot to take notes so I can't remember exactly why (writing this the next day as you do)

kinda like it! very british!

Blur actually pleasantly surprised me with this one. Tracks like For Tomorrow, Chemical World, Miss America, Oily Water and more I actually really enjoyed. The ending part of Oily Water is nice and tripy and I like it. Some of the tracks are also a bit meh, but my biggest complaint about the album is its fucking length. Give me a condensed experience of the best you have to offer, not a 2h double album. I'm just not capable of listening to 2h of britpop without it getting really boring around the halfway point. Just dose it a little better. Other than that a thumbs up. 7/10

Blur is underrated in the US. They flew under the radar, or rather the shadow of Oasis. Damon has stood the test of time with his project The Gorillaz. I liked this album. It’s quirky. Blur has a fun personality about them.

I don’t love Albarn’s voice, but goddamn, I really like just about everything else. Really cool stuff. Excited to check out more. 4/5

I liked it a lot… very good punk !!

Going in…I don’t think I’ve listened to this album in full. On the other side…very listenable. It was not expected though since I am most familiar with their first album. This is very different.

This album is great and is head and shoulders above this band’s peers from this era, based on what I’ve heard on this list so far.

I enjoyed this. Not as strong and rounded as parklife but had a wide range of sounds and great blur writing and tempo

Being such a big Gorillaz fan, I’ve always found it weird that the fandom didn’t naturally transfer to Blur as well, but I’ve never really taken time to fully listen to them. I did quite enjoy the album and hope there’s more on this list (though I’ll probably listen to it on my own as well).

01) For Tomorrow - 8,5 02) Advert - 8,0 03) Colin Zeal - 8,0 04) Pressure On Julian - 7,5 05) Star Shaped - 7,0 06) Blue Jeans - 7,5 07) Chemical World - 8,0 08) Sunday Sunday - 8,0 09) Oily Water - 7,5 10) Miss America - 7,0 11) Villa Rosie - 7,0 12) Coping - 7,5 13) Turn It Up - 7,0 14) Resigned - 8,0 TOTAL: 7,61 (76/100) I was always Blur in Oasis vs. Blur. And this is typical Blur.

3.7

I had never actually listened to this album and was expecting more in the Song 2 vibe. I almost thought I was listening to Bowie at certain moments plus a British rock feel

a surprising amount of great melodies demonstrating their creativity that would eventually evolve into Gorillaz

British Pop Band vom Fensten

I'm wasn't familiar with any of Blur's work, other than "Song 2," but I tend to like Britpop, so I had some high hopes heading into this album. I thought this was a great album, with excellent song writing, great guitar sounds, and a few other nice musical details (piano, organ, horns, etc.) that helped enrich the overall sound. The best thing this album had going for it was the overall theme of Modern Life is Rubbish. I thought Blur did an excellent job of exploring this theme across work and daily routines, leisure, suburban life, and even love and relationships. I really liked how they explored the boredom of everyday life in relationships on "Blue Jeans." This song is incredibly relevant today, and I know my wife and I can easily succumb to the phenomenon of sitting on the couch next to each other and scrolling on our phones. Is it because we're burned out from work and home life? Or did COVID make us so used to staying at home that we're kind of in a rut? Who knows, but it's interesting that this song still strikes a chord. "Colin Zeal" and "Star Shaped"were really great explorations of work and how workers tend to be exploited by unfettered capitalism. Just like in the early nineties, workers are busting their ass at work, helping enrich shareholders and executives, while their income stays flat, or goes down as they cycle through layoffs and firings, all while cost of living continues to rise. Aside from the lyrics and themes, I thought this album was some solid guitar rock. I really loved the distortion on "Chemical World" and "Pressure on Julian," and the guitar playing on "Villa Rosie" was particularly great as well. This albums biggest drawbacks for me were the vocals, and the fact that some of the songs were somewhat boring musically. Outside of that though, this was a really good album, and I look forward to listening to more of Blur's music.

The guy from the Gorillaz? I'm not recognizing his voice on a few tracks. More rocking than I expected. I'm actually kinda digging this overall. Seems like a solid 4

Älskade For tomorrow redan när den kom.

Nice

Did you ever hate the United States so much that you and your mates went "Sod it, let's create a brand new genre just to stick it to them"? Favourite tracks: 'For Tomorrow', 'Colin Zeal', and 'Villa Rosie'.

I don’t love it quite as much as later Blur albums, but everything that initially made them great is there

Good album, my favourite song on it was Turn It Up.

Some great 90s punk! Not super heavy, a really good groove. Love the occasional keyboards! I think this is a keeper! High 4

Not the same level as Parklife which follows this one but still very good.

Dis my thang so to say

A simple sound profile, but they really hit their stride from the midpoint of this record. Love the Coxon guitar twiddling and Damon's straightforward delivery.

I feel like this album, more than any other Blur one, captures the zeitgeist of the moment - the calm before the Britpop storm, the angst and ennui of 1993, pre-Cool Britannia. Half of this album is a bit naff, the other half is incredible. Sitting on the threshold, waiting for the madness to begin.

I am surprised I like this more the Parklife, as that is generally considered the better album by the band, but there was just something here I enjoyed a lot more. I think the british-ness of it all isn't too overwhelmingly annoying, more Supergrass-esque, less Oasis. Nothing mind blowing, but this one was good. Went on too long, though, and that's removing the two hidden tracks seemingly not apart of modern digital releases.

first listen good stuff (2012 double album is a bit long)

I was very worried coming into this album cause when I first listened to Blur I listened to Leisure which is a very meh album (I think I gave it a 6/10). I was very surprised by this album because it was leaps and bounds better than Leisure. I feel like Leisure was just a lesser version of a bunch of other artist with a lot of boring choruses, weak vocals and annoying instrumentation. I think that Modern Life Is Rubbish completely changed that with really captivating instrumentation and really good vocals. I really like almost every song on Modern Life Is Rubbish besides "Sunday Sunday". Some of the highlights for me were really good like "Colin Zeal", "Resigned", "Coping", "Pressure on Julian" and "Blue Jeans". Overall I really liked the album solid 9/10.

Wow, Blur really amaze me. I would not have thought that their music pleases me that much. But this record is close to perfection.

I liked it, but not as much as self-titled & Parklife

My musical attn was so thoroughly focused elsewhere that I pretty much missed britpop first go round. Enjoying learning. Dig the combo of noisy guitars with just enough reference to kinks-esque pastoral quintessential Britishness. Review written 1/3 way through the album. Let’s see if it changes…🤘Chemical World 🤘Advert is a lovely hommage to buzzcocks.

nice early baggy britpop, enjoyable sometimes a bit too simple. Still a very good album, deserved a listen

Благо, что Blur не всегда писали песни из разряда Song 2. Иначе это было бы невозможно слушать. А так... ну да, есть какие-то цепляющие мотивчики. И уже с высоты двух прослушанных альбомов The Kinks понятно, где и куда они здесь повлияли. Не могу, кстати, выбрать между Pulp и Blur. Надо до кучи ещё будет Oasis послушать...

Knew this one, loads of great songs.

Pretty good despite being British

I am a fan of later Blur, but this is not my favorite album by a long shot. That said, you can definitely hear the origins of britpop indie rock in this album, and I loved this when it came out. Now, it feels a bit too clever and funny for its own good, but that was my JAM back in the 90s when I was a snarky teenager filled with faux cynicism. Overall, a decent sophomore effort but it doesn't hold up well for me 30 years later. 3.5/5 rounded up because I see the potential here for the later, better work.

Einige gute Lieder, die sich lohnen, aber auch ein paar Lieder, die man nicht unbedingt braucht. Es variiert zwischen poppig und experimentell. Kann man auf jeden Fall gut hören. Zwischen 3 und 4, aber eher 4.

Este me gustó mucho, sobre todo porque cuando salió me lo salté y después, cuando me rayé escuchando el disco homónimo del 97, nunca me molesté en volver en la discografía del grupo.

This album is like a stroll through a history of British Pop music through the lens of Brit Pop. quite enjoyable.

WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE DISAPPOINTING: I was sitting here ready to listen to Blur whom which I love dearly and I'm slapped in the face when none of the songs...slap? Starts of with the hit of For Tomorrow and then just falls off from there. If I were to listen through a couple more times I'm sure it would start to hit by alas it has to settle for a 4/5

Mjög gott Britpopp. Sumt er algjör toppur, en inn á milli má finna filler sem dregur plötuna aðeins niður.

Took a couple spins but I’m glad I did it. Solid stuff, better on the back half though. Or at least more engaging. I didn’t dig any of it until it hit halfway and then I guess I got it? Oh well. Thanks for inspiring Hot Hot Heat.

It’s like the British blink 182. There are certainly some fun tracks on the album. The sound is well balanced but the hooks aren’t as often as I’d like them to be. Overall, the music is pop punk and I was surprised to enjoy the album more than anticipated.

I decided to go back and listen to the other Blur LPs on 1001 to see how this one stacked up. The song writing is certainly snappy, especially the opener, and I can hear some of that Ray Davies influence that Damon Albarn mentioned, especially in Coping, and they have a real knack for song intros that grab your attention, But my key takeaway was that after listening to so much Blur was that maybe my prior scores of 3 weren’t generous enough.

Blur album number 3 within the first 500 - not necessarily a complaint (although we're 1 for 2 on the previous selections...) just noting the very heavy British slant to the list. It's kind of nice from a North American perspective as for the most part we didn't get nearly the hype on this side for many of these artists... Blur a great example. This was the only Blur album I owned so being familiar with it probably skews me a bit. Damon Albarn's vocals can definitely grate just a bit :P - but overall this is a great 90s Britpop album - token comment about the Blur v Oasis rivalry - Blur's albums always *sounded* better than Oasis' did, this is no exception. faves: "Colin Zeal" TL;DR: Good melodic 90s rock, one of the better of the Britpop era - album is too long; cut this by about 15 minutes and it could have knocked it up to a 5 7/10 4 stars.

It sure is

Am I crazy or is this way better than their other albums? A pleasant suprise

Not the best blur album, but still super enjoyable

cool album cover. track one is really cool. the bassist and guitars are working really well together. track 3 is a banger. this is banging use of theme across the album yay. track 5 is a tune. Harry was hating on this album too much. the songwriting is really really good. track 6 bangs. as a whole this album might be better than 13. can't decide if part 2 of track 7 goes hard or is incredibly goofy. track 8 was a fun little song. track 9 sounds nice. now that I pay attention this kinda slaps. if only I was in the country when blur was playing live. mm track 10 is developed. I see why this album is on this list. holy shit this slaps. mm mm mm. track 14 is a banger. this outro has a lot of the sounds and mixing techniques used on 13. like the organ which I think is on 1992??? (Must be a different song idk which) might be wrong. overall this is a very solid album id give it between a 3 and a 4 but ill round it up sure. there weren't any mega high higlights but it was all proper good stuff. favourite track was probably miss America. yay

enjoyed it. A bit quirky!

1. For Tomorrow: great harmonizing progression. Guitar goes hard. 8/10 2. Advert: chorus saves this one for me. Feels too messy at points. 6.5/10 3. Colin Zeal: great chord progression, like the little solo, love the storyesque way of this song. 7.5/10 4. Pressure on Julian: this one isnt it for me. 4/10 5. Star Shaped: really nice riff, vibey song, very nice solo. 8.5/10 6. Blue Jeans: mellow song compared to the rest, alright but not particularly interesting. 6/10 7. Chemical World: pretty nice melody, catchy chorus. 7.5/10 8 and on: alright not too special. Vila Rosie was from all of these my favorite.

Sehr chillig zum nebenbei laufen lassen, definitiv irgendwann nochmal hören zum lyrics abchecken.

All fine

I really like this album. 'For Tomorrow', 'Chemical world' going into 'Sunday Sunday' are top tier. Loads of unique moments too

I’ve always liked Blur, but personally prefer Damon Albarn in Gorillaz. Looking at the track listing, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything of this album. I’m excited to listen! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Star Shaped, Chemical World This whole album was pretty fantastic. It’s got that very British feel, hence the genre of Britpop, that you don’t really tend to hear anywhere else. I was correct that no longs on here were recognisable to me, but that does surprise me as you’d think some of these songs would still get plenty of radio play, especially on the radio stations that I listen to which are mostly 90’s music. Regardless, I can say with confidence that I really enjoyed this. If you’re into 90’s British pop-rock bands, give it a try.

This was pretty good. I had listened to Blur a little before but not much.

Easy-Listening-Britpop. Ik word er gewoon wel relaxted van. Zelfs een vriendje (9) van mijn zoontje ging er even lekker voor zitten. Het doorstaat de tand des tijds dus prima. En ook de album-titel lijkt mij prima houdbaar...

In de 90s was je of een Blur fan of een Oasis fan, een soort revival van de Beatles vs de Stones. Ik was voor Oasis, dus heb nooit echt goed naar Blur geluisterd. Maar dit is best wel een lekker uptempo album, flinke gitaren er in zowaar. Prima popmuziek uit de 90s zo.

Yeah, it's another Britpop album and I know the sheer amount of them garners a lot of hate from long-time 1001 reviewers. Probably rightly so - I'm less than 200 in and have already lost count. However I don't really care because I'm still into Britpop. I liked this album, it soundtracked a long walk on a grey Saturday afternoon very well. It was the kind of album that I just sort of zoned out too, where all the songs blended into one. But sometimes I'd be pulled back into reality to find that this was *still* on. This is a very long album, probably one of the longest I've had so far. Although there were excellent songs sprinkled throughout, so I never truly got bored or thought I was wasting my time, it still verged on feeling like a chore occasionally. Still, it was very good, there were some classics I recognised in there, and also some amazing songs that were new to me. (I especially liked the Daisy Bell cover) However, it's not an album I'm likely to listen to fully and uninterrupted again any time soon. Definitely one that's better to sprinkle through a playlist in my opinion. Favourite: For Tomorrow (Visit to primrose Hill Extended)

High three to low four for me. The rock style seemed so classic to me for many of the songs - so much so that it was almost like listening to comfort music in the same way that people would eat comfort food. Despite this, there were definitely a few songs on here that I did not particularly like (like Sunday Sunday) and some of the rest started to blend together. Overall pretty solid.

I enjoyed the album a lot, especially the first and third songs

I only really know Blur from Song 2 but so far the album isn't as unintelligible as that song is. Some words I miss but I'm getting most of them. I think my favorite song is Advert, it's the first song from any of these albums I've added to a playlist so far. Blue Jeans is pretty good too, I like how slow it is and the instrumental's really pretty. All in all, I think the album's pretty good. A lot more lowkey that I was expecting but it wasn't unwelcome.

Good ol' blur

I may be a few decades behind, but here's a band I've discovered through this listening group. I knew the name, I thought I had listened to Blur before, but this is all new to me — and I'm really liking it. The songwriting is clever and catchy and feels consequential, whether or not it really is. Great energy, just odd enough to be interesting, serious without coming off as self-aware. Whatever, that's all rubbish. I like the music. Could be a 5-star but for the early-'90s curse of making albums longer than they needed to be. Drags a little toward the end, but damn good.

I couldn’t tell you why I like this album more than all the other British rock bands we have listened to. My favorites were chemical world and Sunday, Sunday.

Really good in some ways, troublesome in others. Somewhat downbeat and tempo and a bit softer and less sneering than their other works. Very well produced and polished, spiky – but ultimately sub-transcendent – pop. Kinksesque it very may well be, though not quite the real article, is it? Overall, there's a good bit to enjoy – "Blue Jeans" and "Vlila Rosie" are both strong and likable; "For Tomorrow" and "Turn It Up" bounce along nicely, the former aided by strings that are nice enough but feel slightly surplus to requirements; But there are also the barb-y bits (one is tempted to call them own goals) that are on brand to Blur but seem to denigrate the songs. To wit, the end of "Chemical World" seems purposefully annoying and not very clever, more like taking the piss. They are showing off – what exactly? Their music hall chops, one presumes. Even allowing for the social commentary aspect, one fails to see the point? They do much the same on "Resigned," almost ruining what's otherwise an engaging tune and leaving a bit of a bad taste as the record comes to a close. Boys (and maybe one means Damon), what's the point? The answer might be to ride the finest line between pleasure and provocation. This record – though like a lot of others of this era is longer than it absolutely needs to be – mostly succeeds but too often blur they are more annoyingly provocative than intriguingly so. **Interestingly, not a single cut off this record, crafty though it may be, not one of the cuts is in the Top Tracks on the streamers.

Back to back Blur albums, Britpop sound on full display here.

This is an album I don't know. I have spent some time with Parklife and Self Titled. I've also really enjoyed Gorillaz and some of Albarn's production over the years (looking at you Bobby Womack). Looking forward to spending some time with this. Starts off with a heavy nod to Bowie. That's a great way to start. In fact, the album does have a sort of lineage of the British Pop history feel to it - which is apropos given the title of the album. This is a fun album, you can see why they became a big deal.

This album was cool. Very much fit the mold of 90s alternative that I like. The mid-track changes were a touch that landed for me. Favorite track: Sunday Sunday

Started slow, but got better as it went along. Love Chemical World, Resigned. The 19 song bonus disc has some pretty good stuff too if you've got a couple of hours.

There are better albums in their discography, but this is still classic Blur.

Альбом мне понравился, можно было чуть сократить, сложно было все дослушать 🙄 больше всего понравился трек Chemical world хахахх Ладно на самом деле Sunday Sunday

Wasn't quite sure about it on first listen, but there was enough there that I thought I'd give it a second spin. Enjoyed it much more the 2nd time through. There's a few slower parts, but overall pretty fun album and I'd come back to it. 3.75/5

... david bowie shades. Catchy though I would listen again. I dont want to get lost in 3's so ehres me ranking it 4 against my better judgement.

Хороший альбом, можно было чуть сократить -- 16 треков и час хронометража не держат внимание на сотку постоянно. Оставить все треки до Sunday Sunday, а дальше часть порезать, был бы вообще отлищный альбомес на 11-12 песен. А по собственно содержанию — ух, сука, навалили мощных риффачков, чувствуется уверенная рука хитмейкера, но при этом не глупо сделано.

Sometimes Blur sounds like Gorrillaz and sometimes Gorrillaz sounds like Blur but this album is pure Blur. Fave tracks are For Tomorrow and Chemical World.

I was leaning towards a 3 on first listen as it left me mostly cold, but I warmed to it on a 2nd. Yup - engaging enough - nothing too grating. Fave track - I mean, I want to say "Intermission" and "Commercial Break" because I'm very much that kinda douchebag. "Chemical World" is fine too, I s'pose...

Eclectic and listenable

Grade A Britpop. Lots of catchy hooks and bright melodies, delivered with a playful and mischievous spirit. The influence of The Beatles and The Kinks are clear (the music proudly asserts itself as very British) with some harder alt-rock sounds and styles blended in. The production has an abundance of fun details too that I’m sure will make this album particularly enjoyable to replay. This is a pretty long album and I wonder if it’s too long. Still, I respect a band that had so many ideas that they just couldn’t pick and put them all on the album. Blur is one of those bands I’ve been meaning to listen to for years. One of the things that’s been great about this list is that I’ve finally been finding time for all those bands I’ve heard about but never gave proper attention to.

77/100

Listened to this with Popscene as an aperitif. I was one of the many who overlooked this when it was first released. A big leap from its predecessor Leisure, and the first of Blur's four great albums.

Fun albums

I live in a city with a lot of British expats. I mean, a lot. Oasis is the band that you hear drunkenly yelled along to after a brunch or at the bar, but they are the less interesting band overall. Probably because they're kind of a one-man gang with Noel Gallagher, who I think is talented, and then bandmates who ended up being somewhat replaceable. Blur sounds much more like a band. Dave Rowntree is seriously underrated as a drummer, and Graham Coxon is an all-time great guitarist. I understand the "Damon Albarn is too smart" critique, since sometimes you just want to drunkenly caterwaul to Wonderwall and call it a day, but when his lyrics work, they really work. I get the Kinks comparisons as far as the themes go, but I don't feel like this album is aping anything older - this feels more like an update than anything else. Singles are all strong tracks (Sunday, Sunday is a bit on the nose, but still sounds good with those horns), Advert, Pressure on Julian, and Star Shaped are standout album tracks. Starts to bog down a bit on the beginning of side two, but a good album overall, though a handful of dud tracks keeps this from being a 5.

British They Might Be Giants for people who somehow have even less sex. Yeah, I like it. The ranking still stands: Suede > Blur > Pulp > Oasis

Great album. Though ill admit this is probably due to nostalgia.

I really dug this album. It was so peaceful and dreamy.

Didn’t remember how close Blur where to The Kinks but also to English Punkrock heroes like The Clash or The Jam. Still nice to re-discover.

I enjoyed this album, it was good background rock music and my dad also owns an album by Blur

Really nice album, lots of unique sounds and nice vibes

A decent bridge between Blur's debut and Parklife. Modern Life is the sound of the band in transition. They managed to ditch the baggy sound they had been lumped in with, and started to develop as songwriters. The comparisons with The Kinks are obvious, both in subject matter and style. The singles of course stand out. For Tomorrow, Chemical World and Sunday Sunday are Student Indie Disco defined. A great album to drink pints of cherry brandy and cider to.

One of Blur's better albums imo, some amazing songs here.

I'm not sure why I liked this so much. The sound isn't particularly lush, though it does a lot with a rather standard band. None of the lyrics leaped to mind. However, the sequencing did a lot of work and my overall impression is of Blur as nineties inheritors of the Kinks, deservedly.

Great. solid

I think this is the first album in this series so far that I've listened to twice, really enjoyed it! I've always been a fan of Blur but until now I've only really listened to their singles and greatest hits. Going into this album knowing it was influenced by The Kinks makes a lot of sense and gave it good context. Some really solid songwriting here and a lot of memorable songs. It's a shame this album has been somewhat overshadowed by their Parklife era which followed.

pretty good shit. overall the vibe is there, and the two main instrumental bits give it a nice lil structure BUT the opener is so weak and they use lalala in two separate songs. i was alr disappointed with one. also the mix was a lil off on like 1or2 songs, the lower harmony and guitar were sorta clashing. otherwise, the run from blue jeans to villa rosie is pretty clean. and i’m a big fan of chemical world, miss america and the closer. solid 4

Pretty good. Listened while marking homework.

"Modern Life Is Rubbish" is the second studio album from Blur following a media backlash from their previous album "Leisure" for its fading bagging music scene (Manchester dance) and unsuccessful US tour and a change to more tradional rock-pop (Kinks, Small Faces). I found this quite good. The songs are more melodic and lush using brass, woodwinds and backing vocals. There are definitely songs that have that Blur-type sound that I'm familiar with. The lyrics are built around traditions and scenery of England and London, supposedly on purpose for lead singer Damon Albarn's dislike of the US after their last tour. The band had to record two additional songs "For Tomorrow" and "Chemical World" after their Food record company owner David Balfe (of The Teardrop Explodes) initially rejected the album and told them he thought the album was artistic suicide. Wow. Hindsight. I thought one of the highlights was the exceptional, unique guitar playing of Graham Coxon. This album is considered on of the defining albums of Britpop. The album begins with the first single and song they wrote for the record company to release the record, "For Tomorrow." It's very poppy and peppy. Strings. Background vocals. Nice production. It seems to be kind of a montage of London. One of the highlightlighr for me is "Pressure on Julian." It's an obvious dig on The Teardrop Explodes' Julian Cope and especially their record label owner David Balfe. Just excellent and weird guitar by Coxon, sounding like the frickin' Jesus Lizard. It's pyschdelic and also reminds me of the Kinks, Pink Floyd and heck even The Teardrop Explodes...lol. "Chemical World" was the second single and appears to be about drugs and their use detaching one from the world/reality. Straight-forward pop-rock guitar and song. A kind of weird music hall/ vaudeville instrumental ends the song. Their third single "Sunday Sunday" has a nice guitar start. Albarn seems to be poking fun at older generations' nostalgic memories. Defintely Britpop and kind of Beatles-esque. It changes tempo and almost sounds a roller rink with the organ at the end. I enjoyed this album. It is the first of a trilogy of albums known as the Life or English Trilogy. I probably like of a few of Blur's later albums better. And at 58 minutes this is a long listen probably due to them recording two more songs. Maybe it was to piss off their record company. I doubt Blur gave a shit

This is my third and final Blur album on this list, funny enough I got them in reverse order of release. While the other two were certainly more commercially popular, I think this one is my favorite of the three. It is just so musically intriguing to me. Parklife and their self titled album are just a little more alt rock and loud while this is a slightly quieter and full of interesting instrumentation. The mixing is also very well done, some of the pans on songs like the guitar intro to "Colin Zeal" starting panned hard right and then panning over to the middle and then a second guitar that is panned more left. The bass intro on that track is fantastic too. I still can't quite get over the typical Brit-Pop vocal sound though on some tracks like "Villa Rosie" it flows a lot better for my ears. Great Album!

Some pretty creative lyrics and themes going on. I'm not totally sure how to describe the sound, since I don't normally listen to a lot of British alternative rock, but it's interesting.

Damon Albarn's naggy yet playful in your face we're-fucking-British vocals always amuses me. I didn't appreciate them back in the 90s, but I'm glad I gave them another chance a few years back. Solid.

love u

Enjoyable. Great brit rock, good harmonies, catchy songs.

Fun. Heavy British

Was a pretty good album. Good energy.

Very mellow, I can see a lot of the bits here that would become Gorillaz.

Really good stuff, Britpop and better than Oasis.

One of their best, and one of the most important albums in the 90s Britpop movement. Everything starts to come together - the lush, melodic pop songs (For Tomorrow and Chemical World would surely have been huge smashes if released when Blur were already a big deal), the overtly British tunes like Sunday Sunday, the punkier numbers like Advert, and the more psychedelic, experimental tangents like Oily Water and Miss America that keep things interesting. Also, there's a particularly innocent, youthful edge to songs like Star Shaped and Blue Jeans that I really like, but was maybe eroded away somewhat in later albums. On this occasion I'll override my own personal enjoyment and nostalgia telling me to give it full marks, because, well, it's not a perfect album. 4.5 it is then.

Loved it, but suffers from overlong-90s-album syndrome, so starts to sound a little repetitive in the back third

Who knew Damon Albarn was always so experimental? The dude knew how to make strange yet entertaining pop-rock with all sorts of unfamiliar sounds and witty lines. Compared to his next two Britpop records, this one rocks much harder, and its influences are too clear, making this record seem a bit less original. You'll notice "Colin Zeal" sounds like "Sleeping Gas" by Teardrop Explosions, "Miss America" sounds like "Terrapin" by Syd Barrett, "Pressure on Julian" and "Resigned" like Ride, and "Oily Water" like MBV with the swirly guitars (there's other shoegaze like "Intermission"). It's clear they're still finding their sound, but I don't think there's much wrong with that. He's taking inspiration from unconventional rock sounds that are hardly explored in other music. It knows when to be punk ("Advert"), 60s sunshiney ("Sunday Sunday"), neo-psychedelic, or grungey. The diversity is enough to keep me entertained on every track, but with an hour-length, I found myself worn out by the last few tracks. Still, the tracks are outstanding. A few "weak" ones, but when I listen to them standalone I get to appreciate them more and pick out what I enjoy the most. The stretch from "Blue Jeans" to "Miss America" has my favorite tracks. I'm a huge fan of the vocals, lyrics, guitars, punchy drums, and the million synths and percussions they use to achieve the unique effects. Production is pretty good, could be a bit improved. Favorites: For Tomorrow, Blue Jeans, Chemical World, Oily Water, Miss America, Resigned

My new favourite Blur album. I would call it the most Kinks-like of all there albums. Some beautiful slices of English life vividly described so that this non-english guy can very much appreciate the colourful characters. And this album rocks hard too and is perfectly paced to keep things fresh from beginning to end. No there's o Song 2 or Charmless Man bit it is strong from beginning to end. 4 🌟

Is the title a lie? Maybe a little but the album is anything but rubbish

One can see the genesis of Gorillaz in this album. Well done.

3.75

Альбом детства. Очень цельный, по душе :)

Blue Jeans and Chemical World are good songs.

Yes, this is good and it's definitely got a place in the English tradition & development of pop music. But I'm not convinced it's one of the best albums ever.

Quite enjoyed this one

Their best collection of tunes

Excellent

Better than I was expecting, would listen again.

As far as britpop goes, Blur is probably the peak for me. Generally speaking it's a genre I don't connect with but these Blur albums are definitely catchy and well-produced.

-Cool jam bits in "Colin Zeal," "Chemical World," and "Oily Water." I especially liked the ramp up at the end of "Chemical World" -Generally kinda not-that-exciting alt/pop rock. -Weak 4

I used to love Blur - literally had the T-shirt of this one. 15 year olds are funny though, sounds like a very different album 25 years later. Very morose and often a bit boring. Still some great tracks on there but Damon’s tone sounds as cringeworthy to me now as the idea of writing the names of your favourite band on your bag in TippEx

Pretty good

I'm not familiar with Blur and after a couple of listens, I guess I like the album enough to keep around for future listens. I guess there is no question that it is Brit pop music here. The tracks had a quaint and non-offensive tone for me. I wasn't really head-over-heels for any track, but the album had me bopping my head enough to end up with a like.

Before today, all I knew of blur was their song from the Trainspotting soundtrack ("Sing") and the cover of their Leisure album with the lady in the flowered swim cap. I've listened to Modern Life is Rubbish many times today. It was good music to play while I worked, neither annoying nor overly distracting. And the more I listened, the more I liked. And yet, I'm finding blur very hard to pin down. Pretty much all I know for sure about them is they're British. I try not to read about the album before I write my review but I broke that rule today and that did help me make more sense of the album as an attempt to make something distinctively English, taking inspiration from Ray Davies and Paul Weller, after an unpleasant tour of the US. I can hear the essences of The Kinks and The Jam but with a 1990s sensibility, a British response to grunge. I really, really like every song on this album but there's something holding me back from loving it and I don't know what that is yet. I feel like I need more time with it. It's a solid 4 today but I can envision it inching its way up to a 5 eventually.

Went into this knowing a few Blur tracks. I didn’t recognize anything on this album though. It’s a good Brit rock album! Blur sounds like they are carrying forward the sort of pop from the British Invasion of the 60s. Its really listenable, catchy music unapologetically British in tone and lyrics. I very much liked listening to this album. The Britpop sound does have shades of the guitar-driven grunge movement of Blur’s contemporaries and some punk influences, but the music is shinier. There’s even a touch of the beer hall vibe in a song like “Sunday Sunday”. I find the songs quite clever in both lyrics and structure. Definitely a keeper here that I’m glad to become acquainted with. Favorite Songs: For Tomorrow, Advert, Chemical World, Sunday Sunday, Coping, Turn It Up

not bad, loathe a double album

Pretty similiar to Park Life, which is also a really great and fun album.

8/10 really fun album, some parts were pretty proggy, other parts were more just pop stuff but overall a really fun album, favorite song was probably the Intermission after Chemical World, because it’s always a shock to hear a random album you’ve never heard before and be like ‘oh wait, I know this song’ and of course it’s from Baby Driver dude Baby Driver has introduced me to some of the coolest songs I’ve ever heard Edgar Wright sure knows how to make one hell of a playlist

90's brit-pop meets grunge. Competent album, but without anything really standing out. But quite a bit of variation. 3.5/4, which I'll round up.

3,75. Sorpresa agradable. Tiene pinta de mejorar con las escuchas. Buen rollo, buenas melodías, y algunos pasajes que llaman mucho la atención. For tomorrow, Colin Zeal y Chemical world mis favoritas de primeras

Lustig dass zwei Tage vorher ein anderes Britpop album war, dass ich ziemlich doof fand. Dieses hier ist das Gegenteil - creativ-innovativ, instrumental abwechslungsreich und unkonventionell, trotzdem total poppig. To-The-Point und UTTERLY BRI-ISH, INNIT? ohne nervig zu sein. macht spaß

Enjoyable album. Few filler tracks on here but feels like an album I could listen to on a Sunday morning

pretty fun

Mistakenly listened to 2 hr version with outtakes. Relistened. Yeh, this is definitely Blur, just without any jaunty hits. I was never big into them - but interesting to hear the 'pre going massive' album. Decent.

Great album. Blur sort of personifies what was good about a lot of pop rock in that era.

Excellent guitar work from Graham Coxon and, as a result, the first Blur album that really establishes their sound.

A lot of nostalgia going on and fascinating to see a band on the way to where you know they're going. A few classic tracks here, but still a couple that are dragging their heels.

Better than I was expecting. Reminded me of The Jam.

Thoroughly enjoyed the music on this album, not so much the vocals.

Being an American, the only Blur songs I have heard are Song 2 and Girls and Boys, neither pulled me into the broader catalog. Although my love for Gorillaz ensures that I appreciate the genius of Damon Albarn, this was the first deep listen for me. I immediately hear the direct offshoot from David Bowie's sound in the opening track "For Tomorrow" and continue to hear influences from bands like the Clash and the Kinks. This album fits perfectly into the evolution of British rock going into the mid-90s as the new wave shimmer disappears into a deep pool of more thoughtful lyricism and heavier psychedelic guitar riffs. Favorite Track: Advert or Oily Water

Dour

Knew fewer than I expected of the songs, but really enjoyed visiting early 90s London. For tomorrow, chemical world and intermission were top tracks

This is such a delight of an album, I genuinely enjoyed every part of it.

Listened a lot when it came out It’s a great record … English as …

I was wary about this one, going into it. I have discovered I don't care much for Britpop during this project. However, I am a big fan of other work by Albarn, Gorillaz being a particular favorite of mine. Honestly, I liked it a lot! It's not gonna be a new favorite or anything, but it was great hearing him in early spunky years and cool to see an origin of the Britpop sound. I can see why they were basically the face of the genre (along with Oasis).

Really good and unique sonic profile. A little long, which knocks it down from a 5, but Albarn is at a high point here.

7/10. Honestly pretty good, just resent that Blur made this list more times than Tom Petty

I like it. I find it curious that I have the greatest hits compilation and none of these songs made it to that compilation. I also have the self titled album so I'm pretty familiar with Blur and I like them. And this album helps me like them more. Every song is good, they have a way with a melody and they sound so British which I love. 4 🌟

Favs: Blue Jeans, Pressure on Julian, Oily Water Mehs: Advert Blur is good, JACOB! It has Damon Albarn! Blur is basically the acoustic Gorillaz!

Their first great album. Like how Blur can sound kind of all over the place and very consistent at the same time. Oily Water is one of my favorite tracks of theirs.

So classically British. I can hear a ton of Bowie and Who influence here. Well written music. Don't know that I'd rush back out and listen to it but it's pretty good.

Good album by Blur, hadn't heard any of these songs before. Mix of the upbeat high energy tunes you hear from their singles and some melodic jams.

Good to great pop.

Aangenaam Britpop-album met veel leuke liedjes, naar het einde van het album toe zijn de nummers wat trager

Very good album!

I have never listened to Blur before but enjoyed this album quite a bit. The range of influence that could be heard throughout was diverse and well incorporated. Overall, a great album

Gets better after a while

A period in Brit-pop where every band thought they could be the Beatles.

Very good, gotta love Damon

Imam osjećaj da sam ovaj album najviše pokušavao slušati od Blura nakon Parklifea. Sjećam se dosta vožnje vlakom do glavnog kolodvora u ZG pa prelazak u drugi vlak pa za Vrapče, znam da su mi krepale bluetooth sluške pa sam na normalne prešo, ali nisu toliko kvalitetnog zvuka. Album kreće sa odličnom pjesmom For Tomorrow, a na ovom albumu se nalaze još par odličnih stvari kao: Advert, Chemical World, Oily Water, Colin Zeal, Sunday, Sunday. Ne znam, čini mi se da je ovaj album dosta underrated što se tiče Blura.

A bit too pop to my taste.

The reason Modern Life Is Rubbish is such a dynamic record and ushered in a new era of British pop is that nearly every song is carefully constructed and boasts a killer melody. Even with its flaws, it's a record of considerable vision and excitement

Very enjoyable listen, some underrated tracks such as Sunday Sunday and Oily Water. Just a little too much filler.

this is back when people would recognise them for their musical achievements and not because they finger cheese or bum afrika. does anyone remember the afrika express? damon getting on a train with a load of africans and making some music. like womad on wheels. it had a strong stink of someone who got accused of being racist so went big trying to show everyone how much they like black people. i think he stopped short of wearing a pendant in the shape of africa, but i wouldn't be surprised if he did. this albums better than afrika express. also better than i remember.

I've always liked blur and this is a good set up album before Parklife

So. Long. I'm glad i listened to it. It's not my favorite genre, but it is a fucking vibe and a half and what they do, I feel they do well.

I really like Blur, they get even better with each album. Nothing sounds quite like Blur, they're very recognisable and interesting, even the songs I don't love are interesting to hear. The sound of Albarn's voice transports me straight back to the 90s, even on their newer stuff, Blur are the 90s in my head. A fun listen.

In those hedonistic early '90s days, I bet Blur never thought their rubbish modern lives would turn out to be fat cheese maker, voice of a cartoon, Labour councilor and a quiet, speccy fella (ok, so Graham hasn't changed much). This album seems to get overlooked for some reason, maybe because it falls between Baggy There's No Otherway Blur and Britpop Parklife Blur. It's up there with their very best work though.

Cynical, snearing with a healthy dose of vulnerability. This one shows Blur probably in their full turn-of-the-century paranoia and misanthropy ("Advert"), mixed with a dose of sensitivity ("Blue Jeans"). Plenty of interesting chord progressions, and the characteristic twists and turns that make Blur messy, good fun. Perhaps not the same towering hits here like in albums like Parklife. Still, a wonderfully solid addition to their catalog, with consistent hooks throughout.

Good

Still misses something but a cracking album. Now part of my collection

The hymn of modern life. Intermission and outro are great, like the train of life speeding up uncontrollably. Colin Zeal is funny, and could be about me

Another Blur album I truly enjoyed! I love their sound. I think it would have been better about 10 minutes shorter, but great album!

Pretty good punk-ish indie rock. Not every song is my style, but the general sound of the album is very nice.

I grew up listening to this album. I'm of the age that it was always questioned and contested who were better "Oasis" or "Blur" As I listened to both at the time, it wasn't really a question. They were both different, one Southern band and one Northern band. Being from the North I was more partial to Oasis, however it can't be stated enough the effort that goes into a band like Blur. Or any project Damon Albarn is working on, frankly. He's a man of passion, determination and creativity. I have great admiration for Blur and Damon

Creo que no conocía realmente ninguna canción y aunque ninguna me brincó realmente, es un disco muy agradable para escuchar y disfrutar completo. 3.5 estrellas que suben porque sí lo volvería a escuchar.

This is really good. I had heard of Blur and I'm sure I've heard some of their music but this album was all new to me. Great energy.

Really Great Britpop - some total nonsense storytelling and Damon’s younger voice has so much character.

Blur really are a pretty unique band. Great big gold nuggets of pop, it feels incredibly full of poise for a second album.

Good solid UK alt rock. Resigned is beautiful, can hear the gorillaz in there heaps.

nice vibes. 4/5

Great Blur album!

Honestly, sounds like it’s about a decade ahead of its time... Solid.

Another cool post-punk pre-alternative album. I thought this one was interesting. There are times when it sounds like Bruce Springsteen, albeit with much different subject matter. It's easy to see the seeds of a lot of the music I grew up with in the 90s in this album. It goes by really fast, but every song is solid 4/5

I read on Blur’s wiki that For Tomorrow was written as a single - and that stood out to me immediately. Very strong start, in my opinion. Also a train on the cover is obviously dope. Also I’m a magical transit child as of now. Overall, I found myself taking notice of bits of songs throughout the whole album, which to me means its catching my interest enough to stick out while I’m working. My rating my also be inflated since I feel like we’ve hit a rut of albums. I could see myself really enjoying some of these songs if I spent more time with the album, which I may or may not do.

I would call this capable brit pop. Catchy, fuzzy, and with the tone you expect. Feels like you could play the whole double album as background at a college party and no one would complain. They wouldn’t love it either though.

Not really my thing.

looonggg album, too long. britpop with a lot of instrumentals. liked chemical world.

okay

Blur is rubbish. But sure, let’s just put all their albums on this trash list.

I refuse to believe the back to back Blur wasnt programmed into this. Like what are the chances of that?! Like 2/770 or something, or I guess 1/385ish...? But still those are crazy odds..

Totally inoffensive but completely uninspiring. They were wearing their influences on their sleeve pretty blatantly at this time. Most of this is not at all bad but I’m never going to listen to it again I don’t think.

Britpop halt. Nicht schlecht, aber auch nicht herausragend.

Ah, ça faisait longtemps que j'étais pas tombé sur un album purement osef. Ces derniers temps, j'ai plutôt eu des albums cools et quelques trucs sympathiques auxquels je n'accrochais simplement pas trop. Mais là, enfin depuis un bon moment, voici un album qui m'entre par une oreille et sort par l'autre comme on les aime. C'est donc de la britpop, donc c'est très accessible, c'est très sage, ça ne prend pas de risque et ça se fond complètement dans la scène. Peut-être que je suis un peu cruel avec ce groupe tout simplement parce que ce n'est pas mon genre de musique et que je pourrais être plus sympa, et si Robert Dimery ne m'en avait pas déjà fait écouter des pelletées entières, c'est probablement ce que je ferais. Je n'irais pas jusqu'à dire que c'est un mauvais album, mais que diable, au bout d'un moment, ces groupes anglais de cette scène finissent par un peu tous se ressembler et ça devient crispant à force. Je vais pas mettre une mauvais note, parce que ça me semble injuste (surtout par rapport à d'autres albums du genre qui réussissent l'exploit d'être encore plus oubliables), mais bon sang, ça aurait été sympa de varier un peu plus les genres représentés.

Pretty average overall. Intermission is my favourite part.

OATMEAL

Glad I listened. It was good to work to. First half not as favored as the second.

Coping is decent

It's reminiscent of 60s psychedelic rock with a Devo twist.

Despite owning every other Blur album and having bought them roughly around release i’d never actually listened to this. Obviously the singles are great but the rest just feels fairly middling to me and far from their best. Sunday Sunday is the highlight as it bridges this to the poppier Parklife that came next

Appreciate their works, but probably enjoy best as a greatest hits collection band. Love Albarn’s work with the Gorillaz!

Album tbh kind of a blur to me

First 2 tracks are fantastic, it can't maintain that level and starts to become samey. This is pre prime Blur but the following year then would drop 'parklife'.

No me movió como los otros dos

Oh wow, more Blur. Okay, this was fine.

뭐라 쓰지

When I listen to Blur, I enjoy it. But I never choose to put on Blur.

liked it more than I thought I would

Maybe modern life would be more bearable if the music improved. I don't know how there was ever a argument of Oasis vs Blur and I'm not even that big an Oasis fan. His voice is annoying and the whole sentiment is whiny. "I've heard much worse" is the best thing I can say about it.

It's ok. Didn't mind listening but wouldn't seek it out.

I had always sided with Blur on the Blur vs Oasis factions in the 90s. However, I have to admit this Blur album was harder to listen to than the two Oasis albums I've had so far. Damn. Rating: 3

Did this album influence Britpop in a way? I guess so. But does it have much of an effect on me? No, no it does not. Some interesting bits, but mostly forgettable for me.

Fun at times, but three Blur albums on this list is 2 too many

Sometimes, the rich kid energy bleeds through. Sometimes, this record takes all the influences from British psychedelia that I do not care "she was a lady on bike and a pretty little squirrel said hello" < this is not an actual lyric but that's what Damon Albarn sounds like more often than I like. But other times, i dig the sound.

Blur is a band that’s good for two great songs an album, on every album of theirs I’ve listened to. Parklife has Girls & Boys and Tracy Jacks. The Great Escape has Country House and The Universal. Blur has Beetlebum and Song 2. 13 has Tender and Coffee & TV. But I’ve never listened to this one. Can it buck the trend? A: not really. I love “for tomorrow” and the rest is ok.

Cool album cover.

feels so young and fun - they were still getting along and enjoying making music together. doesnt have the angst and anger of the S/T album

There was live music and it was not annoying. There were no real bangers like song 2 but it was ok

90’s Britpop ⭐️Chemical World

This was a fun album. Solid three stars.

It's alright.

7.5 / 10

Hmm. Some genuine gems in the first two thirds of the album, a very stale last third. "For Tomorrow" sounded a lot like Albarn doing a Bowie impression, and I'm not even sure how intentional it was. It's a bit hard to pick apart what is and isn't sincere about these recordings (and maybe that's the point). "Star Shaped" felt like the crux of Albarn's position on everything. "I've been making plans, become an unconscious man" he says against the backdrop of some too cheery backing vocals. There's a feeling of cynicism and irony sometimes just undercutting things, sometimes fully in focus. The group seems perfectly happy to experiment with pop tropes while the lyrics often wander off about one thing or another "Chemical World" brought back moments of Bowie impressionism, but this time I didn't mind, the writing and melodic structure was really catchy. I saved this one. Best on the album easily. Not to mention that wild second half! This song deserves it's own album. Then the baroque textures on "Sunday Sunday" that start slow then break off into something more like a 90's sitcom intro song - super interesting. I don't really know or care about what's being said here, or on many songs - there's enough to entertain me instrumentally. I did not hate this NEARLY as much as I thought I would. While almost all britpop leave me yearning for something more, there was a handful of genuinely special passages peppered throughout this record. I'd like some more discernable lyrics, like the beginning of "Miss America" - that was nice and digestible. Sadly, every song afterwards felt dull and unnecessary. So it all evens out to a perfectly acceptable 3/5

2,5

Good

This whole album listening challenge has me rethinking Blur. Blue jeans is a jam but I’m not super into any of the other songs.

Very British indie rock. They mostly been a one hit(ish) band for me. Gorillaz is more my style. It is well written but pretty forgettable. One thing that really annoys me is that their progressions never finish because they use a cadence I'm not a huge fan of (especially on Villa Rosie and Colin Zeal).

Pretty lengthy for nothing to really stand out for unfortunately.

Bit disappointed in this tbh. Not convinced it should be on the list and definitely not their best work

Bright guitar driven Britpop relying on crisp guitar work that balances catchy pop hooks with slightly rougher alternative rock textures. Bass lines are melodic and active, often carrying momentum beneath the guitars. The vocal delivery is expressive, slightly nasal, and highly character-driven. Lines are phrased with theatrical precision, emphasizing wit and observation over emotional vulnerability. Listening feels like walking through a crowded city where every street presents another ironic little scene or observation leaving the listener overstimulated.

The last (yet earliest) of the three Blur albums. I'd been hoping that perhaps it would show a new and different/interesting side to Blur, but I'm not really sure it did, partly because the other two were so many albums ago that I don't really remember them any better than I likely will with this one. I can see the sort of Ray Davies/Kinks character sketch influence--apparently part of Damon Albarn's epiphany while the band toured and circled the drain after their debut album--but they seemed to have replaced Davies' wit and compassion with simple sarcasm and disgust for suburban life (largely continued in "Parklife"). It's too long by half for what you get, I'd say, but the best of the lot for me were "Colin Zeal", "Sunday Sunday", the strangely compelling "Miss America" and "Villa Rosie". It's kind of funny how poorly this album did in the US; I guess the hatred for all things American he cultivated during their debut album tour through the US was reciprocated for this album. I didn't hate this at all, but I'd definitely say this was by far their least interesting or distinctive of the three albums in the collection, and perhaps not even deserving a slot (heresy to Blur and Britpop devotees alike)....

It was fine. Never really grabbed my attention.

Standard 90s alt rock. Nice flow, I guess, but nothing fancy overall.

I was a huge fan of Blur back in the day, and still like them a lot. This album is fine, but not one of their best, in my opinion.

Better than I expected from Blur. 3.1/5

2nd CD is quite good

Listened to this one on a full plane with a baby throwing a temper tantrum, so safe to say this album felt like a blur (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) but I mean yeah it's fairly solid britpop/rock, idfk

bleh 2.5

Algunas letras/ melodías se siente monótonas y raras como si no supieran escribir y otras canciones no tienen este detalle, se sienten como el soundtrack de Shrek. La música en general me gustó, la guitarra 2000's

I was an Oasis fan back in the day, and because of the rivalry, I never really gave Blur a proper chance. At the time, I saw them as a bit too middle-class and “art school” compared to Oasis. Over the years, though, I’ve grown to appreciate them much more. Going into today, I don’t think I’d ever listened to Modern Life Is Rubbish all the way through. It also feels like a very fitting title for a day back at work, modern life really is rubbish. This is a fun indie album with solid production and some genuinely strong tracks. For Tomorrow, Colin Zeal, and Chemical World all stand out and show the band finding their identity. That said, it does lack the big hits you get on later albums, and I’d still reach for Parklife or Blur over this. Favourite track: Colin Zeal Least favourite tracks: None, every song earns its place Album artwork: Love it, I’m always a fan of a good train cover

Rounding up from 2.5. Blue must just be a band that missed me. I couldn’t get into this beyond a couple songs. And the Spotify version is over 2 hours. Not sure if that includes demos and outtakes, but a lot of the songs seemed unfinished.

3,3/5

It was okay. But kind of dull

3.0 - Ok

Fine 90s album, but never need to hear it again.

I am normally not a fan of BritPop but Blur is just a step or two away from Bush with this release and it tends to lean more towards Post-Grunge. Will I listen to it again? Sure, will I gravitate towards and out this on without conscious thought, likely not.

It is alright but it lacks the invention or sense of melody of their later work. I do like the intermission which sounds like a silent movie soundtrack on speed.

A bit too clever for its own good and a sadly bloated album that doesn’t leave too much that is memorable. Some nice songs dotted on here (“for tomorrow”, “star shaped”, “oily water”) but doesn’t let Coxon really let loose like he does on later albums and is all the better for it.

Enjoyable but mostly forgettable.

its alright. enjoyed it for the most part.

This album was ok, it didn’t blow me away though. I wonder if they were not British would they be on this list.

This isn’t their best work by a mile

This was just okay. The lyrics and stories are solid but personally didn't move me at all. The music is kinda repetitive in each song. Didn't like his voice.

meh. I just don't get the appeal of albarn.

no me gustó tanto este disco, pero creo que es por que tenía la expectativa de escuchar algo similar al trabajo que hicieron en el homónimo o en the great escape (algo más rapidito y pesado). igual por la estética y la estructura del disco, no me puedo quejar, suena como debería sonar blur, más no logro encontrar la personalidad por la que se caracterizan. buen disco, pero para tenerlo de fondo también. ah, por ultimo. que dure 2:30 horas no le colabora para nada

Like the blur album I had 2 days ago…fine.

Pretty good but pretty forgettable; I liked each individual track but don’t think I’d listen to any repeatedly. Unlike the (current) top rating, I guess I’m more of an Oasis man. 3.25/5

90s brit pop at its finest. I like a, lot of their music, but had not heard a ton of this one before. 7/10. Top song Advert

I’m a big fan of bagging on British society (and society in general) but the pure boringness of the sound and production feels very counterproductive to any attempt at a witty critique

I bet this would hit harder if I were British and like 22 when this came out. But I'm not and I wasn't so this is... fine. Right down the middle, a perfect 2.5, rounded up I guess because I can't point out much wrong other than it's overlong and wears out its welcome a bit. The front half is decent though! Eh.

Modern Life is an OK record.

Went into this one expecting to like it more than I did. Not bad at all- the brit pop / alt sound I expected. What was interesting was you could kind of hear some proto-Gorillaz in Damon Albarn's voice in some of the songs. I felt like it was lacking some punchy hits though Overall- decent album