Reviews (page 8 of 9)
This was really close to the kind of music I like to listen to, but none of the songs really grabbed me. Not a bad album. My favourite song was For Tomorrow.
Jams were good and I liked the overall theme. Relevant in even today's age.
Didnt know Blur had an album without Song 2 on it.
Solid 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.
i don't want to like it but it's not that bad
I find this noisy and irritating. Sometimes the lyrics are interesting, but the overall impression is that I hear a person mildly shouting while instrumental noises cycle around. I try to relegate it to the background while I'm doing something else until something in me declares "Please stop!"
Early 90's rejection of American cultural imperialism produced this album when they were essentially Kinks 2.0. The sound of beans on toast, football, tea and copious amounts of booze and drugs. The good songs are really good, the bad just kind of dirft off into the background. Best Tracks: Star Shaped; Chemical World; Turn It Up
The music was good, I think the album could've been shaved down a few songs. 3.5/5
A little too British for this Englishman
Great album. Standouts: For Tomorrow, Advert, Chemical World/Intermission Many other really good songs on here as well. 3.5/5
"Song 2" was the only Blur song I was familiar with before listening to this album, so my biggest exposure to Damon Albarn's music is his stuff with Gorillaz (which I enjoy quite a bit). I knew this album would be nothing like that stylistically, but I was expecting something similar with regard to creativity. Instead, I got a middle-of-the-road pop rock album. If you'll forgive the pun, the entire album kinda blurred together, with the exception of "Advert" and maybe "Coping." It was fine, but I'm not in a rush to listen to it again. I'll stick with Gorillaz. Giving it a generous three stars.
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.
very cool
Fa fuck is this
Seems like a completely average album to me. Why this is a "must listen" album is a total mystery to me.
love u
Indie rock, 1993. Chill record with a really well balanced tracklist which flows perfectly during the whole LP. Unfortunately there isn't a hit "Song 2" (Blur), "Girls & Boys" (Parklife) or "Coffee and TV" (13), but this album is still pleasant and peaceful.
Enjoyable. Great brit rock, good harmonies, catchy songs.
Fun. Heavy British
Modern life is Rubbish, is rubbish. I'd take any Oasis album over this. I cannot stand Damon Albarn's voice throught his entire blur career. His vocals improved massively in Gorillaz where he is more chilled out. If I had to pick any highlights it would be Advert and Chemical World as tolerable tracks. 1.5
Bri'ish, not a bad listen
Some great rock songs
2quirky4me
Kinda bland and droaning. Currently a 3/5 Didn't desire much to go back to it. It's fine. I think I'm ending on a 2.5/5
Good nostalgia and some songs I remember. Not stacked with classics. Enjoyed For Tomorrow, Villa Rosie.
Was a pretty good album. Good energy.
Why did I find this a bit of a slog.. took me like 3-4 goes to get through and I'm sorry so say I didn't absolutely love it, like I had expected to. Not that I am a huge Blur fan, but naturally like the hits. I didn't really like the singing style in these ones - found it a bit irritating. Some were more fun that others... Luke says its his fave Blur album. Perhaps I don't have the nostalgia of the pop punk hey day
Preferred it to the one before, fewer bangers but more consistent. And I'll repeat what I said for the last album: I very much like Damon Albarn but I have never forgiven Blur as a whole for bullying Nardwuar in his interview with them in 2003. They stole his hat.
Very mellow, I can see a lot of the bits here that would become Gorillaz.
... and so is this album. I'm sorry, that is a bit harsh, but these headlines just write themselves. I never really understood the cult of Blur. Some great singles, but over-rated albums. It's a British thing, isn't it? But it really is just an updated Kinks, Maybe you had to be doing coke in Camden in the 90s with the Britpop crew to really _get_ it.. And in fairness, I'm not British, and so the specific concerns of such and Anglocentric album don't really speak to me. (I do like the cover art, though. That's a cool train.)
Meh.
Best album of Blur? Blur is not in the same league as the Auteurs, Pulp or Suede.. but this album turns out to be just as strong as I remembered (it just needed a few extra spins and un-comparison with the Gun Club album from the day before) and it even does not include Popscene...
Very tempting to make a cheap joke referring to the album title, but I really don't care much for this record.
excellent title
its fuking blur
Was für ein furchtbarer Unfall! Drei Blur-Alben in dieser Liste sind zwei zu viel. Mir schwant so langsam, dass die "Blur" das berühmte Korn des blinden Huhnes ist. Für den Rest des Band-Œuvres sollten sich alle Beteiligten in Grund und Boden schämen. Und wenn jemand noch Damon Albarn davon überzeugt, dass er mangels Talent endlich aufhören sollte, Musik zu schreiben, wäre die Welt ein etwas besserer Ort.
Really good stuff, Britpop and better than Oasis.
"People talk about this trilogy of Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape... we didn't plan it that way" - Graham Coxon "It was, kind of, the birth of what became known as the modern Blur" - Dave Rowntree Getting rid of the baggy aesthetic that was forced upon them by their record label, Blur looked forward whilst looking back in the creation of their first great album. Anglophile musings and seething resentment of the downtrodden grunge movement spurred Blur to craft pop songs that dealt with esoteric characters and everyday dealings of life and that path would sustain (and define) them as they became the biggest band in Britain. Modern Life is Rubbish? It still is.
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.
Pretty average album. Good, not great nothing very memorable either. Deluxe edition seems overkill for a lot of average tracks. Probably was better than average for the time but didn't age that well. Ok. Not great
Legalzinho e pa
Modern Life is Rubbish is the second album that I have reviewed for Blur for this list, and I've listened to many singles from the band. I generally like Blur and their front man, Damon Albarn. This album was fine. Other than "Turn It Up", the rest of the album was new to me. "Turn It Up" and "Coping" were the two tracks I enjoyed the most. A couple tracks on the album got a "meh" reaction from me, and the rest were "good". This album lands solidly on 3.5 stars, but I'm not sure whether I should round up or down. I'm not sure what would call me back for a second listen.
Rubbish
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
For tomorrow and blue jeans are good. Not sure about the rest.
Not as good as their later albums but clearly a sign of things to come.
Alright sound, but didn’t grab my attention.
Damon can write a good pop tune, but his voice can be a tad wearingover the course of a whole album.
Interesting enough, I guess, but nothing really exceptional. A bit overwrought.
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 🌟
Ces mecs-là se prennent clairement pour les Dexys Midnight Runners et ce n'est pas pour me plaire.
Nouvelle tentative de Robert de sauver sa peau, seulement cela ne prend pas, nous osmmes toujorus à la recherche d'un album 4 étoiles. Je suis actuellement en route vers le domicile de Robert pour l'exécuter publiquement.
Not as good as Parklife Cover art 3/5
3 parce que trop long mais quand même mieux que l'autre album éponyme la
mais où sont les bons albums de Blur?
It’s fine. Nothing special.
I wasn't into it 30 years ago and I'm still not into it now.
Pretty friggin meh
Is the title a lie? Maybe a little but the album is anything but rubbish
More like this album is rubbish
I'm not even sure what I want to say. It started off with a bang. I really liked For Tomorrow. The rest of the album, however, just catches me off guard. It's not bad, but I can't find myself listening again when I'm getting my face slapped every second half of each song when Blur decides to go really hard on the music. The intermission in Chemical World is insanity. You're starting to feel it but Blur does not let you absorb any of it. They just keep going and have the climax be its end. Genuinely surprised. Highlights: For Tomorrow, Colin Zeal, Sunday Sunday, Villa Rosie
One can see the genesis of Gorillaz in this album. Well done.
Modern Life is rubbish indeed
3.75
Альбом детства. Очень цельный, по душе :)
Blue Jeans and Chemical World are good songs.
Classic. But I find it draggy at times.
I've never been into Blur all that much and this album just reinforces that fact. It's mostly average/boring to me. I didn't hate it, though.
Best Song: Chemical World. Like a spooky children's party descending into madness. Worst Song: Colin Zeal. Lots of sustained vocal notes to make sure you're acutely aware that these fellas can't sing. Overall: An album that almost seems designed to annoy. Take the guitar flutter on Oily Water. I'm all for variant or raw musical styles, but with headphones this just sounds like the onset of a migraine. And sure, the album hits these nice instrumental rock grooves every so often, but those are offset by the times when anyone here is singing. Like many of the British bands from this era, one I think would have been better off as strictly instrumental.
Interesting…liked this group
Enjoyable but forgettable...also, sometimes it isn't modern life that's rubbish but a constant stream of UK rock bands
This album must be modern life because it's rubbish, innit? Not exactly, but two Blur albums is enough to tell me I'm not really a fan. I just don't find much on here exciting or worth revisiting. It's some middle of the road modern-y British rock with a few quirks. I can't really say it's bad, but it's definitely not for me. Favorite tracks: Blue Jeans, Resigned. Album art: Splendid painting of a train, lads. Best part of the album sadly. 2/5
Never heard it in detail before this but tunes out it’s quite nice, I mean, it did not turn into my favorite Blur record but now I like it more
Enjoyable. I see more of their influences having listened to 300 albums of old rock now due to this project.
I have this problem with a lot of Blur stuff, but it is really bland and uninteresting. Their albums don't seem to have their own sounds or directions. Nothing interesting or creative, just guitars.
Absolutely triumphant - They really were the best of Britpop
6/10 Best song - For Tomorrow
nem sei se ouvi
N0T 4 M3
Blur just isn't my favorite. There's some cool songwriting here, but I don't care for their sound.
Feels very dated. Some 80s sounds, but slower. Nothing interesting.
Always been more of an Oasis man. This album has not changed that
This is 59 minutes of the woohoo band not doing the woohoo song. Generic and boring, except for a couple of occasions where they go out of their way to be aggressively irritating. Does not belong anywhere near a list of essential music. Best track: Villa Rosie (the junior woohoo song)
Boring
booo britpop
Jamais écouté du Blur, je les ai toujours mélangé avec oasis J'appréhendais mais je suis agréablement surpris. Très influencé early pink floyd dans les mélodie de voix, c'est pas linéaire, il se passe des choses dans l'instrumentation, les effets, la réalisation, la bass est pas plate elle a sa propre ligne et ne fait pas juste doubler la guit genre. Si je m'attendais à entendre du hautbois?? Pas du tout😆 J'ai catché plus tard dans l'album que c'était le dude de Gorillaz... je ne les mélangerai plus avec oasis. Ah ! pis oily water : karkwa n'écoutais pas juste du radiohead finalement😅 (blague j'aimais bien Karkwa quand même)
Y’a du bon, y’a beaucoup de beige. Ils essaient fort d’éviter les progressions clichées. L’album ne réussi pas à garder mon intérêt jusqu’à la fin.
Pas mauvais, mais rien de mémorable après ma première écoute. Du bon rock Britannique. J'aime bien la pochette. Probablement que si j'avais eu mi-vingtaine à la sortie de cet album, c'est quelque chose que j'aurais acheté. Je vais sûrement y revenir puisque j'aime bien les projets de Damon Albarn et je ne connaissais pas cet album de Blur.
I guess this is "British Pop Punk?" Not awful, but not much memorable here either. Another middle of the road offering.
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.
Had it not been for the song "Turn It Up" I probably would have given this one star
Phew! That was long. Good, but too much I think
Quite enjoyed this one
This album is a bit of mixed bag for me. As already noted, the effort to emulate the Kinks and bands like the Who are obvious. Some really good songs (For Tomorrow, Blue Jeans, Star Shaped) but also some misses. It seems like they are trying to pay homage to 60's/70's pop=rock but also trying to make some inroads into being a solid Brit Pop band. Some good guitar licks and good hooks but still not quite hitting the mark for me. Similar feeling I get from Oasis. 3 out of 5.
An homage to all things Kinks, particularly Village Green. Blur commits to the bit, but the finished product comes off as more of a caricature of Ray Davies, without much of anything new to say. The shine on this record wore off quickly into the hour long run-time of Modern Life.
Blur draws thematic and melodic inspiration from The Village Green Preservation Society, casting themselves as modern successors to the Kinks' particular backward-looking approach to pop. "For Tomorrow" is a particularly smart homage. While I can appreciate the Ray Davies worship and feeling inspired by his songwriting, this record lands more like a well-studied tribute than personal evolution/expression. I can appreciate Damon Albarn's obvious talent, but I don't often find his work resonates with me on much of an emotional level. This record also does not justify its nearly hourlong run-time. Trim 3-4 of the weakest ones (Resigned, etc) and you would be left with a more impactful set of songs. Fave tracks: For Tomorrow, Star Shaped, Blue Jeans
Pretty good. 3/5
Great, but surprisingly dated already.
Not as good as that other Blur album, but Chemical World is great. 6.5/10.
Blur’s 2nd album. Very Blur. But v average vs Parklife…
I own this album, on CD. Bought in the mid-90s I thought it was worth spending a week's allowance on. Having heard it now for the first time in 20+ years, I find myself humming For Tomorrow. For this, and almost this alone, I give the album five. I've got no problem acknowledging when my teenage musical self was "misguided", shall we say, but I just can't here. I came back to this thinking I'd find some egregious examples of crashy Britpop wank... But there isn't. There's just not. It obviously sets up britpop tropes, but each track seems to skirt around the edge of Britpop guff without succumbing. Astonishing. Albarn's vocals fits. Alex James' bass is tight. And the drumming from Dave Rowntree is stellar.
Good album with good songs in it, just not all were good and there were 1 or 2 not good songs, still had a couple great ones
Their best collection of tunes
Excellent
1st listen I can't tell if the album is good or just annoying. I like a few of the songs, I think I need more time getting to know it. 2.5/5
Its okay but not my fav
I've really never listened to a full Blur album before. Not bad.
Like Damon Albarn and Gorrilaz. Had a hard time getting into this album
Fine. Not offensive. Just there.
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 don't think very much of this, and its predecessor, Leisure. Neither really speak to me, and I don't think that either transcended the hype of nascent Britpop. But. Gems of genius can be seen in the rough ('Miss America', for instance) and it's nice to think that their record company persisted with them long enough to allow for Blur's glorious mid-career run in the mid and late 90s...
3.5* Favorite songs: Oily Water, Miss America
Not my style
initial thoughts: feels very nostalgic for I time I can appreciate, but was no present for. they have the psychedelic british pop rock sound on lock fav. off album: blue jeans or chemical world
4th February 2022 Listened throughout the day before going out in the evening to see Jackass with sav and Steve. Enjoyed parts of this, Damon Albarn drawls his way through with some nice nods to the whimsy of some classic UK rock (Who, Queen etc)
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
Actually kind of good.
“An energised, infectious romp around contemporary little England, by way of an exuberant trawl through a highly-coloured patchwork of its pop past.”
Was ok
Meh.
B side is so much better than A. Like its not even the same album. Still an eh album. Very forgettable
For me a typical britpop record, some uptempo songs which are nice and some whiney ballads. I like other blur albums better
Nem reconheci nenhuma música.
One of my least favourite albums by one of my least favourite britpop acts
Modern Life Is Rubbish is the second album of brit pop band Blur. Some regard it as their first masterpiece. I'm not one of them. I listened to it over ten times in my life and still can't remember an individual song. So I don't understand why it's on this list. Blur has made better albums that are not on it.
Pretty good
About half way though and I am not enjoying this. The music is giving my anxiety for some reason. Second half was better. Still didn't really like this album.
I enjoyed this time with 90s Britpop. It didn't seem to get played in the US then as much as it deserved. I definitely would like to spend more time with Blur, and I think my appreciation would grow. I definitely enjoyed its connection to classic British pop.
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
bored
Too long. Couldn't finish
not bad, loathe a double album
A prefect album from start to finish.
Some people are too smart for their own good. You've probably met those sorts of guys before. They're often sitting in the back of the office or the classroom, having that distanced 'I-can't-be-bothered' stare, idly turning their head towards the urban smog outside the window, as if listening to their own inner teacher or boss instead of the real man in charge. If you're a little intrigued by all that cynical, borderline-nihilistic reserve, you sometimes find yourself talking to such a person during coffee breaks, just to see what they're all about. Soon, however, you realize you won't gain much from the conversation anyway, and often leave that coffee break even more nonplussed than you were before. You admit still being fascinated a little, but the unobtrusive words exchanged on the surface keep on screaming "boredom" to your ears. The only real problem being that you don't know for sure if said boredom actually belongs to that person you talked to, or if it's just *yours*. That bloke is *Modern Life Is Rubbish*-era Damon Albarn. Too smart for his own good, and thereby missing a chance to genuinely impress or fully convince you. Admittedly, this doesn't mean there's absolutely anything Damon and his pals from Blur couldn't say with some sort of force or intent when they recorded their second, aptly-named, album. There is, actually. "For Tomorrow" is nothing but a stellar opener, for example (more on that later), nicely paying homage to a oh-so-brit tradition established by the Kinks--whose shadow obviously looms above the first part of Blur's career (minus-*Leisure*) with decidedly good aftereffects overall. Here the vocal melody floats with a bittersweet, mock-happy-go-lucky charm that belies the existential dread underneath the song itself, and it takes a full string section towards the end of that gem to reveal the full tragedy at hand in that tale about postmodern dread. Following that great introduction, "Advert" is a little punky masterpiece that snarls and rattles the point of the album's title home even better than the opener. The schoolboy's lament "Pressure on Julian", a swampy track that foretells left-field, grungy elements from *Blur* and *13*, owes a lot to Graham Coxon's admirable chops on his six strings, the sort of musical sprinkling that can't hurt a second-tier song. As for "Turn It Up", it is a bouncy pop song that gives some needed levity at the eleventh hour (even though it's no "Song 2" or "Girls And Boys" either). This list of assets could go on, of course. Production is flawless (courtesy of long-time collaborators Steve Lovell and Stephen Street). Arrangements are artful. But are those tracks *memorable*? Do you remember *that* guy from your old classroom now, as well-dressed as he was? Probably not. Let's just hope that lad's nihilistic stance hasn't triggered him to do the worst and harm himself at some later points of his life at least. "He's a twentieth century boy / With his hands on the rails / Trying not to be sick again / And holding on for tomorrow". This is how the album starts, namely as an inverted T-Rex anthem where contemplations about suicide have taken the place of the usual calls to hedonism enacted throughout the history of rock'n'roll. On the same song, Damon tells a little more about the alienated individuals having such self-destructive thoughts: "Jim stops and gets out of the car / Goes to a house in Emperor's Gate / Through the door and to his room / And then he puts the TV on / Turns it off and makes some tea". Vacant life at its most obvious here. See also "Blue Jeans": "Blue, blue jeans I wear them every day / There's no particular reason to change / My thoughts are getting banal, I can't help it". Uh, OK, Damon, we *get* it. Consumer society and constant commodification play their parts gnawing us all into tiny little squibs devoid of all life. But the point is: do *you* have to sound so bored yourself to hammer that idea home? Isn't that overkill? C'mon, chin up. Shake a leg. You're turning into an annoying, humourless slob here, and this might go against your first intent, don't you think? Because... well, yes, duh: *Modern Life Is Rubbish* says it straight right from its title. You can't relax ("Star Shaped"), you're barfing on food and drugs to vent your frustrations out ("Chemical World"), there are leeches in the close-cropped lawns and "eating between meals stifles the appetite". Nice program, right? You also have to deal with publicity sponsors ("Colin Zeal"), militaries ("Sunday Sunday"), or even the CIA agency on "Miss America", an overlong dirge that saps what's left of the album momentum on side 2. This is a record that ends with a song called "Resigned", folks! Even though at that point, we're not necessarily caring any longer either, mind you, as harsh as it sounds to say so. All this performative angst might actually be nothing short of rosy under the sun for amateurs of works driven by wry, pessimistic hot takes about our late capitalistic societies. But the crux of the issue here is that overall, *Modern Life Is Rubbish* is almost a complete misfire on those topics, bordering on self-indulgence in the expression of mundane banalities, and becoming itself the sort of bane that it supposedly tries to tackle in the first place. And in a way, the music itself is burdened by the exact same sort of problems that are plaguing Albarn's lyrical conceits throughout the record. There is no sense of direction to the whole thing. Melodically speaking, some songs, especially those with the most "Britpop" inflexions, appear lively on the surface, but there's none of that catchy *spark* in them, none of the sheer tongue-in-cheek inventivity and directness Blur will become known for in *Parklife* for instance. It is probably no coincidence the latter was released only a year after this one, as if the Essex boys had felt the need to course-correct the many shortcomings witnessed here as soon as possible, before it was too late and they lost that peculiar zeitgeist they were aiming at in that tentative effort here. Likewise, what could pass for melancholy or mystery in some of those songs will be better explored later on, first with "To The End" on *Parklife*, and then further in parts of *The Great Escape*. But mostly, it is during the post-Britpop period that this specific dimension will finally bloom. Before those glorious days ahead, what we have is merely a sketch of the promising future, drawn thanks to a somewhat mechanical hand on auto-pilot. The sarcastic Village Green Preservation Society of days yonder has turned brown, and then bare. Blur still tries to summon its wry, ironic poetry, but their heart's not in it, as if squashed by the weight of their own conceptual pretensions. Fortunately, they found a way out of this conundrum, given that there isn't anything in *Modern Life Is Rubbish* that Blur hasn't done *better* in the three albums that followed it, gving Albarn and company the opportunity to finally have their cakes and eat it too. In those later records (*Parklife*, *The Great Escape* and *Blur*) not only has Blur allowed themselves to grind their axe about the pitfalls of modernity, but this time they also managed to have fun on the wayside. The music there does not merely *snarls*, it also *giggles*, *guffaws* and *rolls on the floor with laughter. Sometimes it also jumpstarts, gets genuinely angry, croons and even cries. In the core of those emotions, commodification and the unavoidable existential responses it triggers in us all are still lying there somewhere, honoring the initial program established in the band's second album. But to target those themes for what they are, you still need to contrast them with a little spice, a little flavour, and it's a lesson Blur has probably learned the hard way through this transitional second LP. Overall, we *do* agree with you, Damon: "modern life is rubbish" indeed. But no one said you *can't* have a wholehearted laugh about it, at least. [Number of albums I listened to from the list: 2 Albums left to listen to: 999 Number of albums I've found genuinely relevant: 0 Number of different albums you should listen to before you die: 2 (including this one)]
Tepid Brit pop
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
This album was rubbish. I did not know any of the songs and nothing was memorable. No need to listen to again.
fair
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
Meh. Not the best blur album - and a bit overlong with very few standouts - my favourite turns out to be the delightfully demented intermission
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
First time listening to Blur proper. Not bad for what it is but definitely too long for its own good.
A fantastic album
I might be missing something. All the songs on this (very long) album sound the same, and they're all boring. At one point I thought there was something good going on but then it turned out to be a bad cover of "Maggie May". Nothing egregiously terrible but nothing to make me want to listen to it either.
Solo me gustan Oily Water y Miss America.
Enjoyable album. Few filler tracks on here but feels like an album I could listen to on a Sunday morning
pretty fun
I've loved Damon Albarn since I got into the Gorillaz in high school. I listened to Blur a decent amount then to try and "get more of that albarn sound" and honestly didn't like it much, or didn't feel like it stood out (gorillaz are WEIRD, Blur sounds exactly like an indie rock band). But yeah, Modern life is rubbish has a lot of really fresh fun songs. I think the pacing of the album is really great and I love albarn's voice so much.
zaten aantal leuke dingen tussen maar i kvoelde hem niet
Toffe listen maar niet iets waar ik direct terug naar ga komen
I was indifferent to Blur when I was growing up and I’m still indifferent to them after listening to ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’. There are some good individual songs and moments on here, and the album is perfectly decent, but at almost an hour run-itme it feels too long due to the unusually flat production and the lack of any real, interesting variation in a lot of the songs.
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.
This snotty Junior Kinks album is pretty great, you know.
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.
maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but at least we've moved on from indie and Britpop
Very disappointed. Have listened to quite a lot of Blur but mostly Parklife onward. Was surprised on how unremarkable all this sounded. 2.5/5
A let down, more like 'this album is rubbish'. Thought this album would be better. There were a few songs that I liked but this basically confirms I come out on the Oasis side of the ledger.
another enjoyable but not stand out album by Blur, song do get into my head though. 3.3
It's been almost three years since this album showed up on my 1001 list and I've actively avoided this. My intent was to figure out if modern life is really rubbish, or if this album would get worse as the time rolls on. Though I can't say that I hate this album more than I did 3 years ago, it is in fact ... (wait for it...) STILL rubbish. The music is relatively limp and benign, I think what makes it most irritating and hard to listen to is that awful singer and that terrible accent. For chrissakes eat some blue pills and be a man. This album just folk music with an electric guitar. Brit pop was difficult to get into in 1993, but it's only gotten more difficult to swallow thirty years later.
I think maybe Blur needed someone to tell them that they didn't have to record every song that they wrote. The Beatles were an incredibly prolific band, churning out hit after hit on an at-least-yearly basis in the 60s. But Blur is not the Beatles. So when they released 4 albums in 5 years from '93-'97, the result was a lot of songs, a few of which are great, a bunch of which are kind of ok, and too many of which are intolerable. It's also a sign of a band that didn't quite have their musical identity nailed down. "Modern Life is Rubbish" got off on the wrong foot with "For Tomorrow," jumping right in with exactly the type of vocals that turns me off of Blur and many other Britpop and new wave bands. But personally being distinctly non-British, maybe I just don't get it. Because England loved Blur, and also loved this song. "In this period the band had gone on a tour of the US which they greatly detested, especially as the country was the home of grunge and audiences were not receptive to their music," according to Wikipedia. "After that tour lead singer Damon Albarn started to write songs with a very British feel." But see, I hate this song. A clear one star. And the stuff that sounds grungier on the album is much preferred. "Advert" is a little better, once you get past the annoying intro. "Colin Zeal" has a great sound and arrangement, but the lyrics feel more suited to synthy early 80s new wave. "Star Shaped" is another low point. I could go on, but it would be too depressing. And the thing is, almost every song has some little bit of brilliance in it. Either a great lick from Graham Coxon, or Damon Albarn actually using his voice in an interesting way. But they don't sustain the brilliance. It's always just barely, painfully, fleeting.
I would have told you before we embarked on this journey that I liked Blur. Somehow I owned a Blur album that I liked (neither one we have had so far have been it) but it turns out that growing up has meant moving on from Blue. While this album was better than the last one, it is still very hit or miss. The hits aren't good enough and the misses are too big for it to break even.
I think this got an extra star merely in comparison with the last blur album we had (we had one right?) which I remember being not nearly as listenable. For all I know I gave that one three stars too though. 🤷♀️
I’ll tell you what is rubbish, Suede. And being that Blur were somehow losing a competition with Suede is embarrassing, yet here we are. Attention r/agedlikemilk: Blur’s Damon Albarn thought the popularity of grunge would soon fade. With a take like that, it’s no wonder that this album is also rubbish. I find the music boring and the vocals too.
The first britpop album from Blur, though not their debut album. By the time Leisure came out in 1990, Blur was already late to the niche and dwindling "Baggy" or "Madchester" scene (see: The Stone Roses). As such, Blur's debut did poorly, along with live shows and touring. Down, out, and discouraged, the band regrouped for a new sound and image inspired by the success of Suede. This would be the band's first of many contributions to the brand new genre of britpop. It is explicitly riff-driven pop. Pretty good songs but only the opening track is worth opining about for the most part.
Better than I was expecting. Reminded me of The Jam.
Thoroughly enjoyed the music on this album, not so much the vocals.
Not my favorite
blur is rubbish
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
a blend of sex pistols and the smiths that works well in some places, but falls quite short in others
This album is rubbish
Very care free
Not my usual thing but found myself getting into it. Bit of a lengthy one though
Eh.
Not my favorite.
Another day, another Britpop album! Surely you don't have to hear ALL of them before you die... admittedly this album was better than some others in the genre. My top pick is 'Blue Jeans', a nice slow song for a change, but I also liked the opening track 'For Tomorrow'.
6/10
I wasn't amazed by it at all. It's perfectly in the middle of the road but I kinda hoped for more.
Dour
6/10
Knew fewer than I expected of the songs, but really enjoyed visiting early 90s London. For tomorrow, chemical world and intermission were top tracks
Classic rock album, Fav songs Chemical World, Blue Jeans, For Tomorrow
3.5 Stars. Pretty dynamic pop rock record with really nice melodies throughout the album. The songwriting is really strong in this album; the lyrics reflect social satires and commentary on his "hatred" for life, as the title suggests. The album is an hour long, and the second half does fall off a bit for me. Favorite tracks: For Tomorrow, Colin Zeal, Star Shaped, Sunday Sunday, Villa Rosie.
This is such a delight of an album, I genuinely enjoyed every part of it.
Did not like
Chemical world is a banger but cant save the whole album
With how mythologized Blur is it's kind of shocking how little this did for me. Maybe because this is an earlier effort... I don't know. I would have to justify a three pretty hard so I'm giving it a two - mainly because of how revered this band is.
Nicht meine Blut-Phase
Nervt mich sehr
I was hoping for a bit more out of this one, especially after my exposure to britpop earlier on the list. It's not bad, and Sunday Sunday was giving me Supergrass vibes(I Should Coco which came out 2 years later than this album), which I really liked. But, overall as an album I found it a bit uninspiring and homogeneous. Might be my favorite album cover though!
Ok. I preferred the great escape
Blur to long but not that bad
I dunno, man, I consider myself a bit of an anglophile, musically and I like the specific "British-ness" of the Kinks and Pulp and other groups, but something about Blur is just a bit much for me.
Listened a lot when it came out It’s a great record … English as …
Solid
Ugh - not aged well
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.
I've been interested in checking out more Blur for a while because British TV shows have led me to believe that the band was much more popular in the UK. I thought it was fine, but didn't love the style.
This is not one of the Blur albums that I had previously listened to start to finish. I knew the singles and they hold up. I enjoyed the tracks that were new to me but, it was a week ago that I listened to this record, and I have already forgotten them all.
listened 3 out of 5 - mix bag
Helt ok
Blur’s best album.
I've always been like Marvin in "Pulp Fiction" when it came to the great Blur vs. Oasis debate. Man, I don't even have an opinion. And then one day John Travolta accidently shot me in the face, and I've been opinionated ever since. They're both overrated, but Oasis wins major points for "Wonderwall" alone. "Wonderwall" is a stone cold classic. And after getting a few of their albums from this list, it's become clear that Blur doesn't have a song of that caliber in their catalog. The best thing about this album is that it doesn't have "Song 2", perhaps Blur's best known song that could be charming if it wasn't so annoying. And this album is just trying a little too hard to be interesting. I enjoyed the hidden instrumental track, and the Rod Stewart cover on the reissue wasn't horrible.
3/5 enormous album, but didn't make the cut.
I liked this marginally more than Parklife, but it has the same issue where parts of it sound like they were intentionally designed to be obnoxious. 6/10
7/10. Honestly pretty good, just resent that Blur made this list more times than Tom Petty
This album really makes you feel like modern life is rubbish. Vocals sound like dog water and the album was just long enough to give me a headache. 4/10
Neat Britpop album! No complaints, pretty strong all the way through.
It's hard to explain, but however this album and "Parklife" have just 1 year of difference, this album is far away from the quality that I got listening to "Parklife". The album itself is fun. They have a lot of good experimentation and the songs are fine.
it was okay!!!! i struggle a bit with this side of damon albarns work. but was good!!!
Ну такое
It's good, has essence of gorillaz, no hits on this album tho
3.5
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!
This album was just bland to me. I haven't been exposed to much Blur, but I thought they were better than this.
Not for me
Meh, there wasn't anything on this album that impressed me.
Too long and too boring. This album is rubbish.
I listened to this very seldom in my Blur phase, and now I understand why I didn't remember it. The songs are bland. I feel they developed some of the ideas present here more effectively in later albums.
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.
This Blur album didn’t do as much for me as the other. Damn. Still ok though.
This was the album before Blur got good. It's all a bit derivative. A pound shop Ray Davies.
I like Blur, but this was just 'ok'. It reinforces my impression that they are a great 'singles' band, but not so great in terms of albums. Lets wait and see if 'Parklife' changes my mind... 2.5/5
At least double the last album... more like 3.2 - 3.5
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.
Very XTC. Way too long. Decent. 6/10
Nice Blur album. Although the subjects of their songs tend to be relatable (if you're from the UK) and funny, it can sometimes feel like they do not have anything better to sing about.
This Album Is Rubbish!
Aangenaam Britpop-album met veel leuke liedjes, naar het einde van het album toe zijn de nummers wat trager
Brit pop has always been fun to me. Grew up through the explosion, so listened to a lot of Blur pre-Song 2 infamy. This one is alright. Fairly straightforward, nothing pushing the boundaries like Parklife did, which is still one of my favourite Blur tracks. Enjoyable to listen to. Nostalgic for me.
This album is rubbish is more like it. I’m so meh on blur and listening to this just reinforces that.
"Chem World" is catchy and the little wonky piano ditty seems like a window into Albarn's Gorillaz output. However, there are alot of mediocre tunes on here which leads to a tiring listen on this overly length album. 🌟🌟
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
Meandering
Always thought I was an oasis man. Turns out I’m a blur man
Gets better after a while
A period in Brit-pop where every band thought they could be the Beatles.
Rocks more than I remember, is absolutely bursting with ideas. Def announced them as a major band, albeit an almost alienatingly british band, but is overlong and not as great as their albums eventually get despite having some excellent canonical highlights
a classic
Me encantó el disco pero OH-POR-DIOS NO SE TERMINA MAS. Blur me parece una banda mega sobrevalorada. Estoy segurisimo que inventaron un monton de cosas pero no se. Los re iria a ver en vivo pero siento que escucharlos activamente es algo que nunca pude hacer mas allá de un greatest hits. Si me gusta el detalle que tiene cada tema, soniditos bien separados y distinguibles. Las letras que se yo... Se me habrá pasado la edad? Igual larga vida a Damon Albarn. No hace falta explicar por qué.
Por fin un album dentro de mi círculo de comfort (hace rato que no tocaba uno). 3/5
Couldn't finish. Way to long and trying to hard to be the beetles
I’m starting to wonder if there are any good albums on this list.
Very good, gotta love Damon
Eh, this album is okay. Nothing great, nothing terrible. A couple of tracks stand out. My favorite is the second half of Chemical World.
It's ok, but a bit forgettable. Nothing really notable that stands out, but nothing bad about it either, easy to listen to.
Some nice songs but very generic indie. Nothing particularly interesting.
some good tunes on this like for tomorrow, advert, colin zeal, star shaped, and blue jeans... the rest left a bit to be desired though. i'm definitely gonna check out the rest of their discography soon.
Never heard of blur but enjoyed the album. Gave me the shins vibes at points
Modern life is indeed rubbish much like most of this album apart from the first song. I’d rather be violated by a horse than have to listen to it in its entirety again. Maybe some Phil Daniels vocals would improve it. He was always my favourite from blur. Such a shame he only appeared on one song.
Creo que está bien, pero no sé, algo no me convence de este estilo de música. :(
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.
2h20 de album, bah. não ouvi inteiro
A bit too pop to my taste.
Good. Not excited about it.
OK.
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.
Favourite Songs: Pressure on Julian & SundaySunday
Meh. On paper I should love this.
Didn't do much for me and had nothing that really stood out. Best track: Chemical World (+ Intermission)
I would strongly disagree that this is one of the best albums of all time.
Gotta admit I didn't listen to all of this but yeh I get it it's Blur.
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.
prefer later Blur, this is not quite there yet
Guitarreo a diestro y siniestro. Sonido plano. Sin más.
I've always liked blur and this is a good set up album before Parklife
Super 90s uk alt rock album
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.
MY FACE! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ON MY FACE! ARGH FUCK! MY FACE! MY FACE! GET IT OFF MY FACE! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY FACE? MY BEAUTIFUL FACE! MAKE IT STOP! MY FACE! MY FACE! NOT MY FACE! MY HANDSOMELY STRUCTURED FACE IS FALLING APART. PLEASE, NO! NOT MY FACE! ANYTHING BUT MY FACE! NOT THE FACE. MY FACE! NOT THE FACE! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? WHAT'S HAPPENING?! WHY? MY FUCKIN' FACE! MY FACE! THIS ISN'T FAIR. NOT THE FACE!
Nee, ik vond het totaal niet spannend of leuk om naar te luisteren
Meh
Modern life IS rubbish. It was a lot better in 1993 with Mr. Blobby, Blind Date and Man Utd about to dominate. The only good thing about life now is online pornography and West Bromwich Albion's mascot, Boilerman. And we haven't been able to even see him for over a year now....apart from in online pornography.
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.
Behalve song 2 nooit veel aan gevonden. Dit album maakt geen verschil.
Wel geluisterd, maar kwam niet echt binnen. Niet het goede moment. Maar sowieso ook nooit echt mijn band geweest.
Def in my top two Blur albums. Love it.
Nog zeker niet zo goed als de latere albums en nog teveel jengelende Brit-pop, maar prima aan te horen.
Geweldige stem, maar ze moeten hier hun vorm nog een beetje vinden.
Algunas canciones sobresalen, pero en general da bastante pereza escucharlo ahora. Qué cosas.
Sounds of a time, some of the lesser known tracks were nice surprises.
Some good stuff. The vocals kind of wear on me a little.
TRAIN! Enjoy the sound in general, but nothing stands out as one of the top 1001 albums to listen to before you die. Maybe this is an example of the Britpop genre in general. Hidden tracks were a cool bit, especially with Intermission being in Baby Driver (which it fit well). Would be happy to have these tracks come on the radio or a shuffle playlist but wouldnt seek them out. 3.5 but rounding down
Signs of things to come but this is no classic