Reviews (page 11 of 13)
Country Sad Ballad Man and Song 2 are great. I like Blur....just not all the time.
Alright album that has a few good songs. Song 2 is well known and a good hit and wish more of the album was like that. Some of the other songs fell flat and felt boring. 5.6/10
Outside of the one hit, I didn't vibe with much of this
Only Beetlebum and Song 2 jump out from the track list. Noticably longer after the short and sweet stones album with more filler.
Better than I anticipated.
Song 2 (perhaps the best song) is dissonant vaudeville halfway between Rolling Stones and Sonic Youth. Their traditional melodic sound is delegated to fringe compositions like Strange News From Another Star and Look Inside America. (6/10) Favourite Track: Song 2
All right, this is the third Blur album in 131 albums. This is some serious over-representation on the part of this band and Brit-pop in general, a genre that was only a factor for a small handful of years in the 90s and barely a blip on the overall landscape of music, making me thing that there is a bit too strong of an Anglocentric slant on this list. As far as the album itself, it's probably the best of the three Blur albums on the list (so far... I wouldn't put it past the authors to include the band's entire damn discography), but that isn't saying too much. As I previously noted, Blur feels more and more like a singles band with each new album I hear with not much to say in regards to the deep cuts. Still, the band is better than their contemporaries and rivals, Oasis, so there's that.
The songs here feel full (seemingly two of them packed into the opener, fitting together) while the tracklist avoids bloat. There's lots of sonic variety (I hear chickens, squeaks, swirly digital whoops, many a subgenre reference) in a framework that works well enough for commercials. I'm very glad I glanced at reviews, because "slacker" is the perfect descriptor for the project. Energy levels fluctuate nicely, but the interest level is not-quite-there in the distance recorded music allows for. It's Britpop with plenty of jangle; Could use a little more jingle to sound less demo-y at the back. Great electric guitars.
Song 2...A classic. Love Damons performance
Ihan semi ok levy. Muutama hyvä ja muutama vähemmän hyvä biisi. 2,5* olis tarkka mutta mennään nyt kolmosella.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Song 2, Death of a party
Again, mediocre, maybe eventually I’ll get the hang of this.
Sometimes I think I might like Blur more than Oasis. This isn't something I'm only saying to make the Gallaghers feel bad (although hey, what a nice bonus). I really only knew of Blur before this album showed up on my feed because of Song 2, and even then, it was just because it was overplayed during dull moments of Nebraska Football games. This album made me question why Blur didn't have the success Oasis did in America. Aside from "Wonderwall", I'm not sure Oasis did anything as interesting as this album, although I haven't had a chance to deep dive into the Gallagher Brothers' work outside of their hits. It could just be that I have a perverse appreciation for songs about heroin. The first half of this album is 100 percent perfect, but the second half is a hard pass, so much so that it almost kills all of the goodwill the first half generated (I had a difficult time getting through the last song). There are moments on this album when Blur is trying just a little too hard to be interesting. Sometimes it works. Other times it makes me want to listen to Pavement.
I just keep wanting it to be Gorillaz. Still good.
fuck, do i hate that song. though, weirdly, the rest of the album is actually pretty good. never thought i'd say that about blur, but here we are.
First listen. Knew the one song, "Song 2" The rest seems pretty good. Like to hear more of it.
The album combines Blur's Brit Pop sensibilities with the grunge sound of Nirvana. At times, it works for me, other times not so much. Obviously a lot of people know this album thanks to "Song 2" but that one is vastly different from the rest of the album.
I only knew one song from this album going in (Song 2) which I'd never really been a fan of but was pleasantly surprised by most of the rest of the album. There seem to be a lot of different ideas going on here. Favorite tracks: M.O.R, Death of a Party, I'm Just a Killer for Your Love, Strange news from Another Star.
Here's another band I've heard of but (thought I) hadn't heard. Loved the first track Beetlebum. Then Song 2 started and I realized "of course I've heard this." I never knew this was the song name (and band) for the "whoo hoo" song. It's interesting how significantly the style changes between songs. Beetlebum is hugely different from Song 2 and both are different than Country Sad Ballad Man (although the Nirvana influence seems pretty evidence in both of the two latter songs). Then M.O.R. sounds like it could fit with Roxy Music (although this changes later in the song). These guys are all over the place, but I'm mostly enjoying this (Chinese Bombs is a bit of noise, but then I'm Just a Killer for Your Love sounds pretty cool). I'd rate it higher, but I'm having a problem because I have no idea what this band is supposed to be. They are seriously all over the place stylistically. Kudos for variety, but as the Who would sing..."Who are you?"
OK, I listened to it. There was noise. I guess I liked the noise at the time. Feels a lot like another band called Pavement, if I were to go and not listen to anything by Blur ever again I am sure I'd be just fine and would probably forget that they existed.
Not as good as I remember from college, but still a quality album.
solid alt sound from Britain.
Owned album, only ever listened to first two tracks, decent listen.
Interesting listen, liked the energy. I may listen again.
I feel uncomfortable rating this bc i didn't really pay attention to it like that. but mainly most blur albums sound the same to me. never capture my attention beyond being good background music. that 90s alternative sound is very dated.
Never a fan of blur, although this one want too painful
Ah what an actual classic for me. I grew up listening to Blur, and this was nice to bob along to.
Decent alternative brit-rock from the '90s. 7.4/10
Another in the long list of bands whose name I know but know very little of their work (yes, I know, a major benefit of this whole 1001 Albums project is I am finally getting 'round to hearing all these bands!). 'Song 2' is familiar to me now that I hear it again, and I really like it. Great energy and fun. I like most of these tracks. Some really cool guitar work going on here. Nice.
Ich finde es sympathischer als oasis aber mehr als drei sind auch das nicht
mediocre album
I love that one song. A saw a post where a guy was saying that Blur is really good but everyone only knows the one song but I kind of disagree with him.
Not super feeling it, interesting band though
Too much noise
Joa...Ich wusste nicht das dieses SingStar Rock Lied von Blur ist.Ansonsten hat es mich jetzt nicht von der Leiter gehauen.
Tja Blur, vroeger vond ik het niks, teveel Britpop. Nu vond ik het wel een keer lekker om te luisteren, leuke rare uitschieter met Chinese Bombs, lekkere klassieker met Song 2. Kortom een ruime voldoende.
Solid nirvana meets bowie, nothing too crazy.
Started well, went downhill towards the middle but I really liked the last track. ***
Best aardig, maar wordt ook nooit echt briljant helaas
Niet alles even prettig, maar ik houd erg van de stem van Damon Albarn.
Ups and downs for me. I think I could listen again and like it more. Some of the song lyrics were pretty dark. Saved tracks: “You’re so Great”.
alt rock. song 2 v famous
Not too remarkable, kind of a nice progy rocky thing I guess? Probably using that wrong. Funny that I recognized Song 2 (actual song name) almost immediately though, never knew the name.
Far from their best
5.5
Obviously song 2 is the slapper, but I also really liked 'Look Inside America'. Bigger fan of the Gorillaz but still a good band
Solid album. Overrated though. I do not think it deserves all the hype it gets.
6
Solid Brit pop rock album with some unique stuff, obviously created by strong musicians. Doesn’t have as nostalgic a vibe for me as similar records from that time period, which might skew my option slightly more negative. 3.3
as disappointing as the first time I listened to it. and the second. and the third.
Solid album--would probably improve upon re-listening
J’ai bien aime, il y a un vibe qui me rappelle radiohead desfois ? 3.75
Semibängeri Helt jees rock. Vissa bra men vissa sämre låtar
Liked Beetlebum, Look inside America Not a fan of Theme from retro, Chinese bombs or Essex Dogs
Eh. Apart from the 1st two songs, I wasn’t blown away.
I like this album, and I went through a "Blur phase" in probably late high school/ early college. I don't love all the songs on this album but some of them I really do, like "Beetlebum" "Song 2" "Killer for Your Love" and perhaps "Look Inside America" & "Strange News from Another Star." "Essex Dogs" too, I forgot about that song. This, as with all Blur albums, struggles as a whole for me. I prefer Damon Albarn's other projects more - Gorillaz, The Good The Bad and the Queen, and his solo stuff.
Song 2.0 is amazing, but everythng else.... meh
Not bad, pretty chill, but only 1 really memorable track on the album.
Some interesting tracks
Song 2 is amazing, the rest is very meh.
Alternative. Would rather listen to newer albums
very 90's very british
Not bad.
@@@. Ok rock, some nice songs.
Essex dogs.
Difficile mantenere il livello di Song 2
Some great songs. Some filler.
Never listened to much Blur beyond Song 2. Not super overwhelmed with this album, but you can hear a lot of influences on other brit rock bands. Needs more listens.
1997 opening track 5:05mins Blur #1 song on spotify is Song 2 which is 2 min 1 sec long. marked stylistic changes of influenced by american indie bands (like Pavement). recorded in London and Reykjavik Iceland. Song 2 launched fame in US (where they had been unsuccessful)
Good but not really my style
Only got a bit into it. Seemed very vanilla.
It's alright but I'll stick to 'The Best of Blur'
Some songs was nice some was not as nice
Starts off amazing for the first few tracks but doesn't keep it up. Shame.
It’s blur baby!
Own. Fave song “Song 2” not much of Blur fan outside the hits.
It's not bad, but I feel like quite a few of the songs are parodies or just ripping off other genres. This can be successful (they're great anytime they try grunge) or less than successful ("Country Ballad Sad Man"). It's not bad, I just preferred MLIR. Favorite tracks: "M.O.R.", "Chinese Bombs", "Strange News from Another Star"
5/24 Another good British rock album. Standout Tracks: Beetlebum, Theme from Retro, Death of a Party, I'm Just a Killer for Your Love, Strange News from Another Star, Essex Dogs
song 2 is here but this album is just ok
A few excellent songs let down by a lot of naff ones. Just too long as well.
Lacked a cohesive feel. Liked a few but several weird ones as well.
mid
Not my favorite so far. I understand it was ahead of its time, but definitely not my go to for 90s Brit rock.
Didn't get through it, Blur have highlights but this is a slog. RYM: N Saved a song: N
So boring with only 2 good songs
I feel like the more I listen to Blur, the less I like them. They have a decent greatest hits and some genuinely stellar songs but sometimes they just sound like they're either aping or mocking someone else. Beetlebum aside, I just found this incredibly dull, meandering and lacking cohesion and Damon's voice pisses me off more than it doesn't
Ts was booty ass cheeks
I respect them for moving away from the Britpop sound. But it sounds like they copied someone else’s homework and forgot to change some of the words around.
Tiene un temon el resto ayuda
Of course I’ve heard Song 2, but I was just disappointed in this whole album. The whole thing felt disingenuous and ambivalent.
Song 2 is here. Two minutes of noise rock that became Blur's biggest hit almost by accident. It sounds nothing like the rest of the album, which is mid-90s Britpop indie that mostly serves as filler around it. 2/5 — came for Song 2, found mostly padding.
oh jeez an album by the gorillaz dude man ballad sad country--there's this japanese band called ogre you asshole with an ep from like 2024 called outside of the house and the little synth bit in here reminds me of that. oya does it better, tho. 2 stars what unique characteristics is this supposed to bring to the table? all i hear is the dull drone of mediocrity, which is something that i am not in a mood to tolerate more than 5.5 tracks worth of.
Two blur albums in a week! And this was the worse of the two
Just when I thought this Britpop crap couldn’t get any worse, they abandon the “pop” part and make a bunch of repetitive “alternative” music.
I like Blur. I've always been around this album, I've known it existed, I've had Blur songs in heavy rotation for the past 20 years. I've probably listened to this album somewhere in my past and then shrugged and put it aside. I gave it another listen. This album sounds like a really tired band unable to string their exhausted ideas into songs. I know I've listened to it before, or tried to, but nothing here resonates with me. Some of it's straight up grating and boring.
Outside of “Song 2” this album is mostly just a big nothingburger.
Pretty bad, instruments were almost in tune with each other, and they almost sound good
I wish I liked this, but I would be grossly misrepresenting my feelings on this if I said otherwise. I get that blur was going for something a bit less commercial and differnt from their norm, and I appreciate that. However, really doesn't work for me. I think the first 2-3 songs work well, but agter that it really became a chore to power through. I'm curious as to how differnt the other blur albums are as I hope to enjoy them more. Overall, really struggled to connect with this and I found the instrumentation at points to be very unpleasant to listen to. First 2 songs are fire tho, that saves it a fair bit for me. Whatever, I like 'Song 2' the most, I'm basic I guess. Fav Track: Song 2
A varied selection of pretty unique sounding tracks, but nearly all of them suck. The vocals are interesting at first, but they get real annoying real fast.
Highlights: Bettlebum, Song 2 2.8
Didn't quit like it really
chill. mellow.
One-hour album, and only the first two songs are great. Blur are at their best when they're being quirked up and British.
There's something about late blur that I just can't stand. It's like they're trying desperately to be edgy and experimental and it's just falls falt. 13 manages it to an alright standard - in fairness - but beyond just you get records like this. Full of shlock that runs out it's welcome very quickly. Some odd redeeming tracks but overall a bit of a messy one.
The first two songs have élan, impulsion. The rest are unremarkable. The vocals are uninspiring and not helped by the distorting effects. I don't have a lot of patience for music like this but I do respect the artistry and craftsmanship. Also it's toooo loonnnnggggg
not really for me, it was okay
Beetlebum and Song 2. The rest didn’t cut it for me
An album you must hear before you die? No thanks mate.
Parklife was an awesome find and has the inside track to runner-up on the list of best album find of the year. This was rather disappointing by comparison. Too much distortion by more than a wee bit--be Blur of Parklife, not Radiohead knockoffs. I think Blur and I have some fruitful listening years ahead of us but this is a tough listen for the time being.
I guess it starts strong (like a solid 4.5% American lager) and then just drones for another 50 minutes. I appreciate the attempt at experimentation, but it's way less than the sum of its parts. Miss me with this whole era of non-hip hop music
Some great songs but honestly not a genre I appreciated that day
Man this guy really sounds like 2D!
The hits are great, but the rest feels like a slapped-together collection of ideas?
Not my style
I honestly expected better coming into this with how hyped Blur is, but it was kind of a let down, and maybe that’s on me. Just a bunch of noise with a few good sections thrown in.
Song 2 is one I didn't know was a Blur song. It's a borderline 3 but it's a 2.7
A few good songs, but if you're in the wrong mood, just downright annoying at times. Might listen to a few songs again, but passed on the rest. 2.5/5
aparte de song2, el resto son pop-rock, tranquilo, guitarras, bateria, etc. nada super bueno, está bien por tener algo de fondo, 2/5
Wow I'm actually surprised at how much I didn't like this. The first 4 songs here are great but after that the album just spirals off entirely into these weird experiments that don't work at all. Some songs are super lo-fi while some are cleanly produced, all the songs are all over the place sound wise and all of their attempts at experimenting with different genres are super half assed and just make this a really disjointed and confusing listen overall. I liked a few songs here but a majority of this I thought was pretty bad.
Not their best
One big hit. The rest was okay. Not my cup of tea.
Bleh. Meh.
Blur and Gorillaz don't really tick any boxes for rock music that I like. Everything they make just seems to pretentious and "better than you", it really turns me off. Song 2 is one that just screams "heh, we're so much better than you ignorant Americans", that attitude, being very charming and very British, is good in the right circumstances. Blur does it poorly. Strange News From Another Star ended really cool, same with Movin' On, I liked the progression it went through. Side B is definitely better than A; I think Blur actually decided to make less self-indulgent pieces towards the end.
Album 192. Blur (https://open.spotify.com/album/3VyHgnHE4cp7YuU7skzuJ2?si=m4bkfb-wRYChVjIA_GWMSQ) — Blur (1997) Well, this one is better than Modern Life Is Rubbish I can't help but dislike this band and songs. I don't wanna write anything. I'm tired of britpop. 2/5 Liked: — Beetlebum
I wouldn't be upset if a friend put this on, but I'll probably only be returning to Song 2.
Lowkey ass, song 2 makes no sense on this album
For various reasons, I never got around to listening to this album for 30 years. For the one reason that's its annoying, I hope that it'll be at least another 30 years before I have to endure it again.
its interesting certainly, but for me not in a good way compared to their other albums, especially the second half
Didn't love it, never got into it.
blurry
Has some genuine merit to the sounds they bring, lots of energy. Little else resonates. Many songs feel half baked.
Blur - when a satirical "joke-song" becomes your biggest hit 😬
My knowledge of Blur was based on their song Tender… this album was not tender. There were moments of okay sure but then more moments of no thanks but I think that speaks more to my preferences with rock than the quality of the album
I expectes more from the band that were supposedly the rivals of Oasis. If I didn't know this was Blur I would give it a 2. So I'm giving it a 2.
This is a 2, because let’s face it some songs are memorable and the sold plenty of units. Objectively, Blur were good at what they did. Absolutely none of my business though. Each member was infuriating in their own way, and this isn’t for me. Not necessary to hear.
Started off okay but got a bit redundant so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I might at the beginning
Found it pretty unmemorable. Some songs just sounded like noise
I’m more of an Oasis guy
Started strongly but I wasn't into their more melancholic tracks
I’d say I’m a fan of Gorillaz, and I’ve always thought Song 2 was fun, but I’ve never listened to Blur. Now I can say I have…
Boring and overrated. Song 2 is the best song and they wrote that as a parody
I do like Blur for the most part, but this album didn't do it for me. There a few high points - the first couple of tracks are great and start the album with a lot of promise - but the rest of the record falls flat in my view. How they were compared to Oasis in the 90s is utterly beyond me. The tracks just aren't that memorable or noteworthy enough for this to be considered a classic album, or anywhere near their Brit-Pop rivals earlier albums. It's a decent enough listen at points and I do prefer some other Blur albums, but too many of the tracks on this album were simply bang average.
Sounds pretty fresh. Fun stuff across the board.
Meh
uhm.
For the most part, Blur has always been more miss than hit for me. I enjoy some of their work but I can probably name at least five better Britpop bands off the top of my head. This album sounds a little like Pavement so that caught my attention but for the most part, I don't find enough of it to be interesting. A fine album but just not for me. Song 2 has been mercilessly beat into my head at every sporting event I've ever been to, which may be the source of my ire for Blur.
Just ok
Maybe I need to listen to it again but I was excited for this one to end I think there's something wrong with me I'm supposed to like blur
2/5
Alles in allem leider kein gutes Album
Nicht mein Fall, obwohl ich es schon mit diversen Alben probiert habe.
Honestly the album is super mid. Just because song 2 is popular doesn’t make this a top 1000. M.O.R is easily the next best song on the album.
“Song 2” is the one track I know from this album, the fifth album released by this British rock band. Otherwise, these guys should have eliminated a few of the clunkers here to improve the overall quality. “Beetlebum” is ok as an apparent Beatles homage, and “Movin’ on” was ok too. Overall not good enough for a three-star album rating though.
Man Blur is bad. Song 2 is worth a point though.
Not for me
I don't think it's a bad album I just did not enjoy it. 2/5
Few good songs, lots of filler though.
ehhh not as good as parkland. this feels like a step down. some good standout songs but overall pretty mid. 5/10
There was some fun stuff in there, but Christ there was a lot of there there.
3 eme (et dernier) album proposé par le générateur. Je n'avais pas vraiment apprécié les 2 précédents (notés 2/5 - morceaux trop mous, longs et ennuyeux). J'avais déjà entendu 'Song 2', qui alterne des passages calmes et plus intenses, et qui est très concis. Autre exemple de concision efficace : 'Chinese Bombs' et ses 1 mn 24 s. Malheureusement la plupart des autres morceaux sont mous, et/ou trop longs ... =>2/5
Carried by Song 2
The album is not great with the exception of song 2
Sub par brit shit. Not sure how they managed to get as big as they did. There are two good songs and then a bunch of filler.
I feel like they took the worst parts of American music at the time and Britishized them. Never really been a Blur fan, though. Song 2 does indeed fuck.
WORST BLUR ALBUM CONFIRMED?
fucking boring. 1 good song
Indistinguishable from a lot of music from the era.
Tja, beetje vermoeiend. Geen melodieën die je bij blijven en soms wat voorspelbaar maar
Song 2 really stands out, the rest is so dull and MOR. 2.65
I understand why it only ever heard one song from this album now
Decent enough!
I’m a huge 90s alt rock fan and it just didn’t feel that special to me. Some of the songs were ok but I was always thinking about if I actually liked it enough to add to my playlist. Music is very subjective so I probably just don’t mess with their sound like I mess with others.
All these 90s alternative Brit pop bands sound the same (until Radiohead came through and crushed the buildings). It’s like one big 90s car commercial or teen movie: derivative and dull, but still listenable.
Two amazing openers give way to a rapid deceleration. A few songs in and it's background, by the end it's actively frustrating that it's still going
It's blur being blur but just speeding it up in parts.
you're so great & look inside america are honestly terrible, i'm not a very big fan of wailing on top of an aimless strumming. i'm just a killer for your love was nice. song 2 was great. otherwise, not really anything special. it felt like a typical indie-rock album, sort of a nothingburger. i feel like it doesn't have a real identity: some songs veer into pavement-sounds, shoegaze, britpop, even the beatles. it doesn't feel cohesive. some of the guitar sounds are cool, but i feel like they are not very interesting, they're not new and not very original.
I’ve heard this before, and I own it. My wife loves Blur; I don’t dislike them. I am not a fan of britpop, Blur is the best of that genre at least. This album is their break from the britpop sound apparently but I still hear it in most of the songs. I liked Song #2 first time I listened to it but I could go the rest of my life without hearing it again. None of the songs here are bad, there are good melodies and some decent riffs, and some of the deep cuts are better than the radio singles, but this just doesn’t do anything for me. Surprisingly, since there’s a Graham Coxon solo album that I really like, so he must have kept the better stuff there.
tipo, legal. lado a fodinha, o lado b me cansou um pouco. song 2 clássica e essex dogs do caralho
first two songs were decent, the rest gave me a headache.
Damon Albert doing a creditable impression of Ian Hunter on a not bad album
One hit wonder. the rest is .. OK
Got bored of this album kinda fast. I've heard Song 2 hundreds of times before. A few songs stuck out to me but not enough to make me want to revisit this album.
I cannot ever pretend that I care about Albarn, but Song 2, Death of a Party, and Strange News from Another Star are all solid.
1st two songs awesome. The rest. Ergh
Not my cup of tea
some great moments, a lot of boring moments
Rock, 1997 -> 2
schizophrenic album
This was fine. Obviously "Song 2" is iconic, but nothing else here really sounded that strong. It wasn't bad, but this vocalist is not great. This album didn't feel very cohesive either. The instrumentalists are strong, but sometimes the vocals are too exposed/too chaotic Liked Songs: "Beetlebum" , "Song 2" , "M.O.R." , "On Your Own" , "Chinese Bombs" , "Look Inside America" , "Strange News From Another Star" , "Movin' On"
One classic that was everywhere at the time and relatively nondescript besides.
Not really memorable by any means
I’m not much of an Oasis but was this really a question? One immortal jock jam and a lot of Brit pop homework.
Nothing exceptional
I knew Song 2 and Beetlebum. I like Brit Pop, but Blur has never been one of my favorites in that genre.
Disappointing. Aside from "Song #2" there was nothing good. I find it interesting that as soon as the album finished my algorithm played "county house" and "girls and boys" to at least remind me that Blur isn't horrible
I really didn't enjoy this to be honest, apart from Song 2 and Beetlebum which I already knew. Essex dogs was quite atmospheric but I wouldn't listen again. Just a lot of tuneless noise that sounds like a boring version of Oasis - sorry!
One hit wonder band. Unclear why they have *3* albums on the list.
This is my second Blur album and I see now why their only hit was Song 2.
Song 2 and not much else.
plus je l’écoute, moins je l’aime les 2 dernières minutes de Essex Dogs sont bonnes
I thought I might like this a bit more but Blur can’t write albums. And it has to be said, they wear their influences very much on their sleeve to a point that it sounds more a collection of tributes than songs
I tried. I listened about halfway through and I get it, but I don't want anymore
I preferred Parklife. Whoo-Hoo
Not what I expected.
Started off strong then felt really dull. Feel like the album didn’t many songs that stood out.
In what twisted world is Damon Albarn’s can’t be arsed vocals essential listening? Quite honestly they sound like a really crappy Pavement tribute band that hasn’t really listened to any Pavement.
like beetlebum, not my taste
A couple of songs I recognized and enjoyed learned some lyrics like his head wasn’t shaved by a jumbo jet plane but overall don’t quite get it
No lo he terminado. Me gustan las dos primeras, estoy cansada
every song kinda sounds the same,I only added beetlebum.Song 2 I already had cuz its peakkkk but the rest of the songs on the album were ahh in my opinion,some instrumentals were good tho but nahh not for me
Only added 1 song bit too boring and they are British only good British is pink pantheress (queen of england)
Honestly I zoned out a lot
Apart from 'Song 2' and maybe 'Beetlebum', this is just very average dragging dross.
I like the vibe, but it just doesn't catch my attention.
Significantly better than Parklife, so the corner that they turned on this album from BritPop to Indie Rock was a very welcome change. That said, this does little more than prove that they can sound as good as one of those interchangeable 90s bands like Better than Ezra or The Verve Pipe. But, we don’t need another Vertical Horizon or 3 Doors Down, do we? The 90s gave us enough of The Toadies and Hoobastank to cover us for a lifetime, so we don’t need Blur coming late to the party like some long lost Dishwalla. They can hang out with Harvey Danger, Eagle Eye Cherry, Tonic and Deep Blue Something over in the corner. I’ll go listen to something less derivative.
decent.. only a few songs liked though - song 2 and death of a party
It’s fine britpop. Nothing special. 2 stars
Buns
dnf
Good Britpop, but it doesn’t have the standouts of like Parklife to keep me coming back.
Solid album, it starts off so strong. I know they’re popular but this feels like very mediocre Brit pop rock. Maybe I need to give it more time but it didn’t hit for me.
Quite an unpleasant listen. Where are the melodies?
Nicht meine Musik. Ein Song war bekannt durch Radio.
this is like my fourth or fifth album to listen to today, and i'm coming down from a hot streak of 4- and 5-star albums. in comparison, this is absolute dogwater. beetlebum is fine, song 2 is straightforward but a classic, and then... there's another 12 tracks on here of overengineered and unintelligible britpop cacophony. snore. favorites: beetlebum, song 2
As I said in my last Blur album review, I find their music, lyrics and delivery, a little too pretentious. The ultimate in BritPop. Song 2 is good. I wish I liked this album more than I do.
This album starts off with beetles beetlebum which is a strange one. To put the best song first is odd because it never gets anywhere near those heights after that. The annoying song 2 follows and then its just self indulgence all the way. After their previous excellent albums this is a drop-off in quality
Some Beatles, some Oasis, some Radiohead. Too harsh, experimental, and depressing for me, but some bright spots. Favorite song: Look Inside America
Oasis till a die
Quirky, interesting in bits but in the end underwhelming.
Alkuun ihan menevää rokkia, mutta loppua kohden poppoon keskittyminen on herpaantunut ja puhdasta paskaa oli vahingossa livahtanut äänen tallentimiin puolikkaan albumin verran. Laitetaan siitä kostoksi kagone
Pääni tutki, jumbojetti! Kuuntelin tämän levyn kerran vähän sen jälkeen kun se ilmestyi, en muista lainasinko kirjastosta vai kaverilta, mutta nyt muistan miksi en koskaan palannut tähän. Sorvarin kourallinen ihan ok biisejä, kusenpoltama Song 2 ja sitten loput melkoista hevonpaskaa. Varmaan huonoin levy missä Damon Albarn on koskaan ollut mukana. En oikein löytänyt mitään punaista lankaa tältä levyltä. Tosi tunkkaisia nirvanasoundeja, eikä sävellyksetkään tosiaan ole mitään maata mullistavia. Tästä jotenkin tuntuu puuttuvan kokonaan se itseironinen meininki, mikä itselleni ainakin tekee Blurista hyvän. Epäilisin että tässä rojektissa tulee kyllä muutakin tuotantoa vastaan, sinänsä harmi että eka levy mikä tähän osui on melkein se kehnoin.
The album's only notable track is Song 2, which I should have realized was foreshadowing for its rating. This one felt like a very mediocre roller coaster: the beginning wasn't great beyond Song 2, the middle improved a little bit, then the end brought it back down to Earth from its small peak. How this band has any albums on this list, let alone three, is a mystery to me.
i know song 2 is a parody of the harder alt rock songs but it's also the only good song on the album so idk maybe the other guys are right
I’ve never listened to an entire Blur album before. I knew the single, Song 2, as it was hard to miss at the time, but I didn’t care for Britpop then. It turns out that I still don’t! Or at least not this album. I hear some of their influences here—Pavement, Bowie—and it’s mildly interesting but I’d rather listen to that than Blur’s interpretation of it. I don’t hate it, but nothing grabs me enough to want to go deeper with it either. In all, it feels a bit light, don’t know if that’s just an ingrained dislike for the genre.
Kinda more boring than I thought. Did not finish.
- 2.5 rounded down to 2 because it's fine, competent and has some interesting moments ...... but it never really goes anywhere. I was left wanting .... -
I would've been ok with dying only knowing the small excerpt of Song 2 that played in FIFA 98
I listened to this album twice yesterday, but can only remember the hit song 2, so, I suppose that tells you everything you need to know about the album. But, i never thought 'i should turn this off' during the two listens, so it's not actively bad at any moment.
One big hit and a lot of average melancholy
i wasn't really blown away by this. Song 2 is pretty awesome, but everything else i felt like was just on the album. perhaps this would require another listen, but overall i found it underwhelming
I like Song 2 and a couple others, but for the most part this album was unremarkable.
I owned this album as a teen! but only really listened to song #2, which I still thing is the best song and only one I'd really listen to again. Still, a real nice groove to this album.
Very average, other than Song 2 which is a classic. Knocked off one star because of how they treated my boy Nardwuar :(
I thought I’d like it more to be honest. Some very impressive tracks on it though.
Blur starts with promise but quickly loses its grip. Song 2 is a pure burst of fun and noise that still holds up, but most of the album drifts between half-formed ideas and filler. Country Sad Ballad Man feels like it’s building toward something that never comes. nd the middle section struggles. 2/5
If you're going to have uninteresting music, at least have vocals that are expressive and dynamic. Similarly, if you're going to have stale vocals, at least have more dynamic music. This entire album is just filler and there aren't any amount of various sounds that could save how structurally uninteresting the songs are. A massive slog to get through.
Meh, kinda boring.
Pretty punky and noisy, but had its moments. This one was bordering between 2-3 the whole time. Then Essex Dogs came on to finish.
Meh
Other than Song 2, pretty naff.
# 590 : Blur Blur – A Whole Lot of Meh, Bookended by a “Woo-Hoo” Sometimes I’ll listen to an old album and wonder why I’ve only ever heard one song from it. In this case, I know exactly why. Blur is a very ordinary, very beige Brit-rock album trying on American indie like a teenager in a thrift store. And it doesn’t quite fit. “Song 2” slaps—no denying it. A two-minute sugar rush of fuzzed-out guitars and ironic grunge mimicry. The real kicker? The one song that parodies American alt-rock is the one that made them famous in the States. That’s some delicious irony. But after that? The album becomes a bit of a… well, blur. The first two tracks are bangers, and then it’s like the band collectively took a nap. None of the other songs really spoke to me. It’s not terrible, just incredibly uneventful. Like a lukewarm pint—technically beer, but not worth writing home about. Best Track (if you must): Song 2 – the musical equivalent of a Red Bull shot in a sea of tepid tea. Verdict: ★★ for the “Woo-Hoo.” File under “albums that peaked at track two.”
I thought i didn't like blur because I liked oasis more. Turns out I just dont like blur.
This album felt like 3 hours long. Didn't enjoy much. Bleh
One of the cases where I can absolutely see, and respect why this band is on this list. However you probably could have just left it at the Gorillaz self titled, seeing as its the next, and more interesting Damon Albern project. Oh well. This just sounds like proto Gorillaz, with some more strong grunge and indie notes.
This was a slog, 1 star if it didn't have Song 2 and Essex Dogs.
Ehh
Man, and I thought this band was good. Suppose I liked Song 2 and Death of a Party because I've heard them before. The rest is a snooze fest. Actually couldn't get through most of the songs. Much prefer their album "The Magic Whip" from the 2010s.
I spent at least one point in every song thinking "is this song over yet?"
How did I not know it was just called “Song 2”? This album didn’t really feel cohesive. Some songs were fine, others were less so. Not a bad listen, but not one I will come back to.
It is an album made up almost entirely of perfectly fine movie soundtrack pieces. The phrase "workman like" occurred to me many times while listening. They are clearly skilled musicians, I'm not sure why they felt they had to make this album but it does seem to have happened under some form of duress. The cover also feels contrived, 2/5.
I think this album really lets blur down. They have so many hits but this just doesn't help, it just lacks everything and after the 4 or so albums before it's a complete let down. It's also just boring. What is it trying to be.
Not really for me but I guess I can appreciate the cultural impact.
Chatinho chatinho
Hipster bowlshit
Some very radio friendly tracks but otherwise didn’t do it for me then nor now
2 stars all day and twice a day on Sundays.
I kind of assumed that this was Blur's debut album considering how messy and all over the place it was. Damon Albarn went on to do much more interesting stuff with Gorillaz. 2/5
Nothing great here
Yeah its got a couple of good tracks but the rest is kinda boring guitar white noise to me.
Meh, mediocre to me.
This is the kind of album you'd buy for one track and then spend months trying to convince yourself you liked the rest of it so you didn't feel ripped off. To their (dis)credit, Blur does a pretty good job here of capturing the esthetic I hated most about 90s music: that noisy, lo-fi alternative garage sound with overbearing drums and simple-yet-flawed guitar riffs that sounded like a couple teenagers jerking around after school. I'm kinda tired of handing out 1s, though... and we HAVE had so many worse things on this list... so, since I was able to get through this twice without rage quitting, I guess I can justify tossing it a generous 2.
Ich komme mit der Stimme überhaupt nicht zurecht.
Sounds like a (good) tribute band to several other bands/artists. I hear The Beatles, Bowie, Nirvana, the Monkees, & others. It’s not bad, but I just don’t hear anything influential — just a lot of influences. A 2.
I don't get it. They were one of the biggest band in the UK in the 90's. How?
blur
More Brit Rock, WOO HOO! You’ve heard “Song 2”, even if you've never known that was the name of the song. It's their biggest hit and probably the only thing you know about Blur. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is pretty unremarkable 90s brit rock. I'm not going to wade into the details of Blur changing their sound for this record or what bands they chose to "take influence from" for their new sound. You've never heard their old sound anyway, so who cares. This list seems pretty insistent that brit rock is very important and that we should listen to every big record from the genre. Sadly, I don't see what this is bringing to the table that isn't covered by The Boo Radleys and Oasis before it, or Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand after it (all albums I've reviewed from this list so far). It doesn't feel like a step forward for anything, just a 'status quo' brit rock record that managed one monster hit single. I didn't need to hear this before I died.
Like two great songs, but otherwise felt really unfinished.
After only knowing Song 2, I expected a little more from this band. After the first couple songs it's pretty uneventful. 2/5
It’s ok, fine vibes
I think I like the regular britpop Blur rather than this "we just discovered Pavement" record. Good thing there's another 2 Blur records on the list!
Never able to get into Blur. Not bad, just nothing there for me.
I'm all good with it. Solid 2/5
As an American who was only familiar with "Song 2" before this challenge, I was immensely looking forward to digging further into Blur and hopefully finding some gold. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up particularly enjoying this album. It feels like Blur is trying to poke fun at different rock trends across the tracklist, but the lack of context made it hard for me to tell whether or not I should be taking anything seriously and I tried to just enjoy the music for what it is. There are a few tracks I thought were decent, but I didn’t come away from this album with a new favorite from the band ("Song 2" unfortunately reigns supreme, for now) and I spent most my listen itching to move on to something else. Highlights: Song 2, Theme from Retro, You’re So Great, Look Inside America
Insufferably pretentious. At their best when mocking their betters.
I liked the first song? Then it kinda went downhill
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🛌🍃🟧 Production (2012 Remaster): 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 🎸🕑🇬🇧 Rating: 🚑🚑(🚑)/5
Meh. 90's music just isn't for me.
This is fine but the album feels really inconsistent. There's no overarching theme, it feels like a bunch of random ideas that got turned into songs. It's not bad but I don't think it's particularly very good. It feels like they were musical tourists and just pulled from everywhere they were visiting. Song 2 is so high school coded for me. It's the only song that feels 'polished.' Anyway, I'm not likely to revisit this.
I've been on a real Oasis kick lately and Damon Albarn's grunge tourism is not doing it for me right now.
Wasn't my vibe
Each song feels a bit different, but I wouldn't call them okay to listen to. British rock all around. Notable tracks: Death of a Party, On your own
Listening to this album just reinforces my previous understanding that these guys were a one hit wonder. And they didn't even have the creativity to give it a name--both the album and the one hit, Song 2. Without that song, this album would have been a 1/5. Really just twangy whining. This was a terrible era for rock, the late 90s, and bands in the U.S. and U.K. often just sounded like bland, watered down versions of early 90s powerhouses. This has no business being on this list--I could have very happily died before listening to this album.
Meh, it was very hit or miss.
this listening experience was a fever dream
Not very interesting, the sound blends together. The end is a bit more expetimental, so more interesting, but barely. Melodies are not that strong too..
**Just noise, most tracks sound alike
2.8
Look, I could have gone my entire life without hearing this album. It's alright, just not hooky enough for me to want to listen to it again. Nothing to grab me. Beetlebum was interesting. M.O.R. was good. Song 2 brought back memories. Outside of that, nothing notable. My Rating: 2/5
I think the algorithm has a thing for Damon Albarn. Sheeezus. This one has a few great songs and you can feel them pushing away from BritPop, but I am still not won over.
Meh. I remember the impact of this album, but listening today it did carry through like it once did. There is no denying the impact of Song 2, but the remainder of the album did not have much extra to offer.