Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish: 30th Anniversary Edition 2LP

Description

As a response to the dominance of grunge in the U.K. and their own decreasing profile in their homeland — and also as a response toSuede‘s sudden popularity — Blur reinvented themselves with their second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish, abandoning the shoegazing and baggy influences that dominatedLeisurefor traditional pop. On the surface, Modern Life may appear to be an homage tothe Kinks,David Bowie,the Beatles, andSyd Barrett, yet it isn’t a restatement, it’s a revitalization. Blur use British guitar pop fromthe BeatlestoMy Bloody Valentineas a foundation, spinning off tales of contemporary despair. IfDamon Albarnweren’t such a clever songwriter, both lyrically and melodically, Modern Life could have sunk under its own pretensions, and the latter half does drag slightly. However, the record teems with life, since Blur refuse to treat their classicist songs as museum pieces.Graham Coxon‘s guitar tears each song open, either with unpredictable melodic lines or layers of translucent, hypnotic effects, and his work creates great tension withAlex James‘ kinetic bass. And that providesAlbarna vibrant background for his social satires and cutting commentary. But the reason Modern Life Is Rubbish is such a dynamic record and ushered in a new era of British pop is that nearly every song is carefully constructed and boasts a killer melody, from the stately “For Tomorrow” and the punky “Advert” to the vaudeville stomp of “Sunday Sunday” and the neo-psychedelic “Chemical World.” Even with its flaws, it’s a record of considerable vision and excitement. -All Music Guide