The ‘90s offered a substantial amount of Alternative Rock acts that still hold water decades later. You had Oasis, Placebo, The Verve, Radiohead, but also Blur. Much like the other acts named, Blur were unique and had a sound that is hard to put your finger on. At times more Pop, but others leaning toward Rock, there is no question they left a mark. Often remembered by more mainstream listeners for hits such as 1994’s “Girls & Boys” and 1997’s ”Song 2,” there is still really a whole lot more to their repertoire.
Together since 1988, Blur’s core has consistently remained with Vocalist/Keyboardist/Guitar Damon Albarn (who is also actually the main musical force behind Gorillaz), Guitarist Graham Coxon, Bassist Alex James, and Drummer Dave Rowntree. Together putting out seven albums between 1991’s Leisure through to 2003’s Think Tank, they would go on hiatus for some time, reunited in 2008, and went on to release The Magic Whip in 2015. Now after 8 long years since putting out an album, Blur return with their ninth full-length called The Ballad of Darren.
A surprise to some fans, many of whom were not anticipating any new music from Blur, on May 18th the band put out the track “The Narcissist.” Seemingly out of nowhere, in a little over a month’s time the song racked up over 10,000,000 global streams. Clearly proving fans were excited, on June 29th Blur put out the very catchy “St. Charles Square.” This was followed by two shows (July 8th & 9th) at Wembley Stadium in London, leading into the highly anticipated release of The Ballad of Darren July 21st through Parlophone and Warner Records.
Creating much anticipation in a rather short span of time, the story behind The Ballad of Darren is that Albarn spent ample time writing new material while on tour with Gorillaz in 2022. Buckling down and putting the songs together, he and the rest of the band then got together to compose the songs that would become the album. Recording it earlier in 2023 with James Ford (who had worked with Albarn’s previously on Gorillaz 2018’s Now Now), what The Ballad of Darren offers is something much different than Magic Whip. Consisting of 10 songs if you purchase the standard CD, 12 if you picked up the deluxe CD, and 13 if you got your hands on the Japanese release, the album is rather ethereal in its approach.
Very experimental in a way, the vibe of The Ballad of Darren is quite of bit Art Rock and also seemingly David Bowie inspired. Really surprising and engaging to listen to, there are various changes in the tone and these are exemplified within the more fuzzy guitared single “St. Charles Square,” the Beatles-esque “Far Away Island,” and Pop Rock “Rabbi” (a bonus track on the deluxe CD edition).
Overall, The Ballad of Darren is one of the most artistic Rock albums Blur has ever done. It is a clever, slow-burn with delicate sound and aspects which simply cannot be caught without your full attention. A wonderful and unexpected release in 2023, Cryptic Rock gives The Ballad of Darren 4.5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment