SpaCeMonKeY UK

Have been kind of ill for the past couple of weeks, resulting in 2 1/2 days off work this week and general death-cold grimness. Today, back at work, I wrote 'Benedictine monkeys' instead of monks. I kind of hope there weren't other mistakes like that that I've failed to spot!

Still, I have managed to finish the Blur section of the Album Project! Yes, I have now listened to their last (so far) studio album, no. 7 - 'Think Tank' (2003). This has all sorts of experimental sounds - squeaky doors and the like - and various World Music influences. It's completely mad in places, but it works together really really well. I think that if you like the Gorillaz, this is the Blur album that you're most likely to like. (There were a lot of 'likes' in that sentence.) And when this album ended they all went off to run for Parliament, make cheese, form animated music groups - that sort of thing. :)

So, which were my most and least favourite Blur albums? I think 'The Great Escape' is my least favourite. When you listen to all the albums, it's the one that stands out as being quite different. It's just a bit too silly for me. My favourite album, wow, that's hard. It's either 'Modern Life is Rubbish' or 'Parklife', I think. Ok, well, I'll go with 'Parklife'. Hooray! Now it's time to embark on a trip that may well send me mad. Listening to all 25 of David Bowie's studio albums..!!! Yikes!

Labels: 2003, Album Project, Blur, Parklife, Think Tank

Album Project update! Blur's sixth album, '13' (1999). More and more serious! 'Tender' is a brilliant song. It and 'No Distance Left To Run' were inspired by Damon's breakup with the Elastica singer Justine Frischmann. And 'Coffee and TV' is a great Graham Coxon song with a notable video. Well worth a look if you've never seen it, it's bound to be on Youtube somewhere. It's a fairly mellow album on the whole. Cool. :)

Labels: 13, 1999, Album Project, Blur

Album Project Update! 'Blur' (1997). This is the re-invention of Blur - gone are the silly songs of 'The Great Escape'. There are songs on this that are far more like their earlier albums. It's likely that you would know 'Song 2', which is annoyingly the only song that gets onto Rock Band's playlist! But hey. I really like 'Strange News From Another Star'. It's grown up. It's a new direction for the band. Hooray!

Labels: 1997, Album Project, Blur, Self Titled

Album Project update! Have re-listened to one of the first albums I owned (well, I owned it back when I didn't have a wall covered in CDs, so it was fairly early on!). Yes, 'The Great Escape' (1995). This was Blur at the height of their powers, or at least, the height of their fame. And at the most intense period of Britpop rivalry between Blur and their enemies Oasis... I was a Blur girl, and having bought this album I bought their earlier albums and then their later albums, when they came out. And also Blur-related albums like the 'The Good, the Bad & the Queen' album, Damon Albarn's 'Mali Music' and, of course, all the Gorillaz stuff (including lovely limited edition mad releases). Blur are one of my favourite bands, and this album is where it started. Ironic, then, that this is now one of my least favourite Blur albums! It's all a bit too silly for me. And I've heard 'Country House' so many times that I can barely bring myself to listen to it any more. Strange but true... It's a great album, it sold a lot of copies, but it's definitely not my favourite Blur album. Not any more.

Labels: 1995, Album Project, Blur, The Great Escape

Album Project Update! Blur's third album, 'Parklife' (1994), is where Blur really hit the big time. Who hasn't heard 'Girls and Boys'? Or, indeed, the title track 'Parklife'? It's beautifully observed stuff and a brilliant album. It's albums like this that made my Dad recommend the Kinks to me. You can really see the similarities between Damon Albarn's writing and Ray Davies's. Great stuff.

Labels: 1994, Album Project, Blur, Parklife

Album Project Update! Have now listened to Blur's second album, 'Modern Life is Rubbish' (1993). This is very different to 'Leisure' and has some great tracks that (almost) everyone should know - 'For Tomorrow' and 'Chemical World' spring to mind. The writing is cleverer, the sound is clean and jaunty... all in all it's the sound that made them one of the biggest bands of the 90s. The album also features a couple of slightly silly musical interludes. I really like this album. :)

Labels: 1993, Album Project, Blur, Modern Life is Rubbish

Next stage of the album project - Blur! I've listened to all these albums loads, not like some of the Kinks albums. I love Blur. Blur are one of my favourite bands. And they were really influenced by The Kinks, so there you go. :) Their first album, 'Leisure' (1991) is quite different to their later work. It's, hmm, grungy? I guess the most well known song from the album is 'There's no other way'. A brilliant debut, even if not as great as their later stuff..!

Labels: 1991, Album Project, Blur, Leisure