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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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13
by Blur
Damon Albarn's breakup album (he split with his longtime girlfriend, Elastica's Justine Frischmann, prior to recording) was produced by William Orbit and features the singles "Tender" and "Coffee & TV" (although it failed to produce an American hit along the likes of the previous album's "Song 2").
| LABEL: |
Food/Virgin |
| RELEASE DATE: |
23 March 1999 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Alternative, Rock, Britpop |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
91
Pitchfork
Blur have finally found a sound to match their name.

83
Entertainment Weekly
Orbit's masterfully sludgy production adds a layer of grime to even the poppiest songs, and his cut-and-paste edits and swooshing studio flourishes create a sense of dizzy late-night anguish throughout.

80
Sonicnet
Methodical, often sprawling and sonically messy, 13 isn't a charmer, but it is awfully seductive.

80
All Music Guide
13's strange, frustrating combination of expert musicianship and self-indulgence reveals the sound of a band trying to find itself.

80
Almost Cool
If you're a fan of the old Blur material, this disc may not be your thing.

80
PopMatters
13 is the first Blur record that requires multiple listenings for it to really sink in.

80
The Onion (A.V. Club)
At first listen, it may be hard to figure out whether 13 is some sort of twisted masterpiece or the work of a once-great group losing the plot. Those who stick around to find out will be rewarded.

80
Nude As The News
With patience, 13 reveals itself as sort of a poor man's OK Computer, only instead of Radiohead's airborne sonic journey through the future, Blur investigates the murk of its inner-city swamps.

80
Q Magazine
A dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album.

80
MTV.com
Despite all this experimentation, Blur still sneaks in perfect pop nuggets such as "Coffee & TV," where cheery harmonies share space with a squealing guitar.

70
Salon.com
A shitty Blur album is still better than a lot of bands' best efforts.

70
Ink Blot Magazine
If Blur was a tentative step away from the pop past, 13 is a suicidal leap - the little girls are not coming back after they hear this.

70
Rolling Stone
Their sloppiest, most playful set yet.

60
CDNow
The best results are in the vein of Low-era Bowie. The duds turn up, surprisingly, in the area that Blur is strongest -- songwriting.

60
New Musical Express
Blur's most inconsistent and infuriating statement thus far. Infuriating, because divested of four solid-gone clunkers '13' could pass muster as the best of Blur.

60
Launch.com
If there's a downside, it's that 13 may sound more like a sampler of ideas than a single-minded effort.

58
E! Online
Little gems are overwhelmed by sprawling jam tracks that, well, blur into each other.


The average user rating for this album is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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