After the band’s two biggest shows of all time at Wembley Stadium, blur are set to release their 9th studio album this Friday (21st July). The Ballad of Darren sees the four-piece return to their best and most cohesive work since 13, checking out after songwriter and frontman Damon Albarn described the record as ‘the first legit blur album since 13’ earlier this year.
Despite multiple changes in genre over the course of their 30-year careers, melancholy remains one of the central emotions to the band throughout all their projects – The Ballad of Darren is no different, with pianos and strings doing most of the heavy lifting musically. Paired with themes of mid-life crises, reflection, and mortality, blur are back to their best.
The Ballad is a song with 20 years of history behind it. Originally written about Albarn’s bodyguard, Darren ‘Smoggy’ Evans (hence the album title), both the song and album have become more of a pertinent tribute to the everyman. This marks a return to Albarn’s vocabulary during the mid-90s – ‘all the people’ and all that went along with it.
St. Charles Square arguably has the most energy on the record, harking back to several cuts off the band’s second album Modern Life Is Rubbish. The group made clear use of the hiked-up tempo all tour, using it to open their shows. With the song set in Ladbroke Grove, this indicates a return to the setting of blur’s youth, as opposed to the previous two records – Think Tank, which took heavy influence from African music and its percussive elements, and The Magic Whip which was recorded and lyrically guided by the band’s time in Hong Kong.
That being said, fans of The Magic Whip will be sure to enjoy Barbaric, an immediate highlight with bassist Alex James proving as essential to blur’s sound as ever, combined with some of the most effective melodies on the record.
Readers may have already reached their own conclusion of The Narcissist, which came as the first taste of new music from blur in May, preceding their warm-up tour. The song sits comfortably among their best, with the call and response vocals making the song an immediate live favourite, at the back end of the band’s sets. The relationship between Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon is ever-present, reminiscent of all-time classic Tender.
Coxon’s importance continues into following track Goodbye Albert, with the most blatant guitar solo in the record. Whilst it may not have the liveliness of a Bank Holiday or Popscene, it still gives Coxon a chance to leave a touching mark on the record. Seemingly the most personal song on the album, the song speaks of waving goodbye to someone close to home, and all the experiences with them.
Final track The Heights shoots for the most emotional piece of music in the project, quite possibly alluding to life and death, and thus heaven (the heights) – all while the band play to the height of their own abilities. ‘Are we running out of time? Something so momentary that you can’t even feel it’ Albarn sings before the song is drowned out in white noise, until the tape is snipped.
With their string of summer dates slowly coming to the end for blur, it begs the question – what, if anything, is next? The Ballad of Darren provides a perfect and poignant full stop on the band’s legacy should they choice to call it a day.
You can see blur play The Ballad of Darren in its entirety at Eventim Apollo on the 25th of July – Livestream tickets on sale HERE. Physical tickets on sale 18th of July.
Written by Hugo Harris