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- Summary: The first full-length release from British rock band Blur since 2015's The Magic Whip was produced by James Ford.
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- Record Label: Parlophone
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 24 out of 24
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Mixed: 0 out of 24
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Negative: 0 out of 24
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Jul 20, 2023If such bittersweet reflections came packaged on a solo Albarn release, they’d probably be set to sorrowful, detached, acousto-electronic sounds. But his old friends have alchemised those sentiments into songs that elevate his suburban tristesse into moments of sheer ecstasy.
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Jul 17, 2023Tense, manic strings chop away at the languid celebration, presaging a gathering storm of noise that reaches its peak only to be plunged abruptly into silence. No neat resolutions here, folks. Onwards.
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Jul 17, 2023If their late 90s records were marked by the fallout of Britpop and the fallout of relationships, The Ballad Of Darren is marked by this existential contemplation — not quite a breakup or a crisis, but the weight of the changes through the years. It’s a statement of where Blur are now.
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Jul 19, 2023They have a way of transporting you to a precise moment or emotion. It’s why ‘The Ballad of Darren’ is so memorable and touching: you can feel it, everything, in every line sung or note played.
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Jul 21, 2023As Albarn croons, “Every generation has its gilded poseurs” and The Ballad of Darren prove that Blur are some of the best ever to do it.
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Jul 24, 2023The songs on The Ballad of Darren are measured and contained. In fact, the calm gravitas which pervades the record occasionally plods. Perhaps it’s a meta-commentary on the album’s subject matter, or, perhaps, it’s just hard to make new music for 30 years straight. Yet, there is a relief that is interspersed amid the LP’s gloom that arrives on more high-spirited, familiar tracks that are reminiscent of the group at their spiky-haired zenith.
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Jul 18, 2023While The Ballad of Darren may be an emotional journey, it lacks a proper conclusion—though that’s likely by design.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 14
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Mixed: 0 out of 14
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Negative: 3 out of 14
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Jul 21, 2023The lenght could be longer, but what it shows us is perfection! Blur is back and hope that is not their last attempt!
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Aug 3, 2023Their best album, without question.
I've not posted a review here before, but had to sign up and post one for this album. It's THAT good. -
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Jul 22, 2023This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
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Jul 24, 2023
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Aug 5, 2023
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Aug 25, 2023
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Aug 5, 2023
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