Review: A+
First off, I have to say that Blur was my favorite band when I was in High School in the mid-90s. I’ll confess that, back then, I had a case of exaggerated anglophilia, only fed by the band’s ironic lyrics, “la la las”, and quirky compositions.
But that was then.
Since the days of Parklife and The Great Escape, I’ve realized that England really does have an inflated impression of their cultural importance… uh, wait, that’s France. I’m an American, so I needn’t be walking around in Fred Perry shirts and keeping up on the latest & greatest new band. Truth be told, and hype aside, the majority of British bands are pretty mediocre. In contrast, there are hundreds of truly exceptional American bands that barely ever get noticed. <insert your favorite here>
Which brings me to the new Blur album, Think Tank, of which I’ve received an advance copy, (available in record stores May 5). There have been conflicting reports about the release, so I thought that I’d just take a minute to dispel some rumors:
- 1. It’s a dance album. Not really. It certainly has more of a “pop” feel, but that’s nothing new for the band.
- 2. It’s a world music album. Not really. The Moroccan and West African influences are accompaniments, and they’re fully processed and integrated into the mix. It fully sounds like a 21st century LP.
- 3. Blur sucks without Graham. Ok, firing your guitarist, especially when he’s as brilliant as Graham, is tough. But the songs don’t really suffer. Besides, he appears on one track.
- 4. This is Gorillaz, Part II. Hell no. Gorillaz was fun. But, on this LP, Damon’s lyrics and vocal delivery is straight forward, in the first-person, without pretending to be someone he’s not.
So what of the new LP? It’s the most consistently good album of theirs since Parklife. Part electronic, part folk, & part Bacharach… with a few rockers to satisfy the Song 2 crowd. It’s real romantic stuff, without being irritating.
And the video for the first single uses documentary footage of a female US Marine, on duty in the Persian Gulf.
A very good record, indeed.
1. I am jealous. You have the record and I do not.
2. I liked the Gorillaz record. It was certainly no Blur, and that is fine, because it wasn’t trying to be. Yes, the record was overplayed but it is still a really well produced and executed record.
3. I’m not surprised to hear the record is great, but hearing it from a real person is reassuring.
hey capn,
I know there will be its detractors, but I can’t glow enough about it. I truly despised 13, the 1999 album… I really think William Orbit was a bad choice, and apparently so do Blur… he did some work on Think Tank, but they didn’t use it.
In fact, only 2 songs are produced by Fatboy Slim, (and they’re both good).
I thought Damon’s lyrics on 13, (and Gorillaz for that matter) were lazy and uninteresting… Maybe “Tender” was good. But, he returns to form on this record.
For someone getting back into Blur, what song would you recommend? Is there a standout track on this CD?
uhhh… well, the first 2 singles are great. “Out of Time” and “Crazy Beat” make nice bookends for the album.
The first is a classic melody, with some guitar noodling and a Moroccan orchestra in the background. And Crazy Beat, well… it’s already playing on the big corporate “Alternative” station here in Boston. It’s an odd little party song, produced by Fatboy Slim.
Personal favorites on the album include the angsty “Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club”, the vampy “Brothers and Sisters”, that deals with drug use…. but, perhaps my favorite is the piano/guitar closing track, “Battery in Your Leg”. It reminds me of the old Blur songs “Sing”, and “This is a Low”.
k first of all quit complaining about how Graham is gone, who would you rather have Graham or Damon and i mean they obviously had problems and had to solve them in some way. So they did. I was also very disappointed when Graham left but I’m over it now. You’re all right Graham is great. But Damon is an icon and will be remembered. Noone really understands that and it’s sad because he’s got to be the best musician out there.
On the other hand the new album is great and advise anyone who likes music to go out and get it immediately cause you’re lost without it. Me White Noise sounds exactly like Damon but it’s supposedly Phil Daniels but i swear it spounds exactly like Damon it’s weird. Think Tank is a great album and a landmark. -Thomas O’Connor
I don’t disagree. Damo is blur. I was actually trying to answer those who argue Blur sucks without Graham, including my girlfriend.
But, you do lose something without Graham. Think of “There’s No Other Way”, “Chemical World”, “Stereotypes”, “Song 2″, and “Crazy Beat”, without Graham.
Admit it, that skitzo guitar was one of the reasons we all were attracted to Blur in the first place.
However, Blur’s fortunes ultimately lay with Damon. That’s why Parklife was so good. And that’s why Think Tank is too.
I downloaded the new album Think Tank by chance.. it’s not released yet?? i dont know well DUDES IT”S GREAT… i loved all the tracks, esp. JETS and Battery In Your Leg, well also Sweet Song! and all the rest! absolutly great. LOVE IT.
they say graham is on only one song, ‘battery in your leg’, but how can ‘we’ve got a file on you’ not be graham? there’s no way that’s damon.
Hey Vince,
I surely thought that Graham had played on the single “Crazy Beat”. It’s the only song on the album with his signature guitar style.
“Battery in Your Leg” is a wonderful piano song, that has really spacy guitar lines, but they’re simple. You wouldn’t need to be a guitar God like Graham to manage it.
“We’ve Got a File On You” could easily be Damon Albarn- if you listen closely, a lot of its energy and noise comes from drums and keys. And the guitar part is electric, but, like many tracks on the album, it may be looped.
That said, I think Damon did a fantastic job on guitar, and all around. The drum programming is also really cool. It’s nice to see blur back with confidence and ambition…
Random site.
Aww, I loved 13. I thought it was great. I don’t think blur have ever made a weak album.
I just have a question, I downloaded the album, but I don’t know if the song names got mixed up. The song goes “why am I here, i’m here cause I got no fucking choice, and further more…” Is this MPRBC?
Any help would be great.
And happy birthday to Damon who turn’s 35 today.
Great site.
Scratch that.
Hmm, they did get mixed up.
Hey, if you figure it out, post it for others who may be looking on Kazaa for the album.
I have not made the album available for download, out of respect for the band and the labels.
thanks!
it’s always hilarious to hear americans talking about british music. re: think tank. The quips that english bands are overhyped and mediocre could only really come from an American. A country that gave us the stupidly hyped Strokes (can’t wait for the second album). Now i’m not particularly a huge Blur fan but after hearing your ham fisted review i had to write. And on a musical note ? british music isn’t designed to sell well in America because it has the following quality: It has been thought about. Take your Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park other tired, manufactured sports metal bands and go away. I’ll leave wiht a list of British bands that have moulded everything you’ve ever listened to: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, New Order, every decent house music Dj there is… ah the list could go on - so i won’t.
If you all concentrated on writing decent music rather than invading middle eastern countries for daddy, the world be a prettier place.
http://www.blurtalk.com/default.asp?sectionid=1&pageid=Think%20Tank
Here’s a site with all the lyrics. And for people looking on downloading programs, there’s a lot of files with the song names that are just blank.
And to alex, you forgot the smiths.
But what American bands like pavement and the pixies? And don’t get me started on what’s dominating the British music charts nowadays. Garbage pop music!
My goodness, Alex, we are a sensitive one. If you had taken the time to read my post, you would’ve realized that I was saying Think Tank is a brilliant album, and one needn’t be a raging anglophile to love it.
Also, British bands are overhyped. What I meant by “mediocre” is that the British Press hypes these run-of-the-mill 4-piece rock outfits like they were the Beatles, and then summarily dumps them in a month or two.
Blur themselves were victim to this in the early 90s – the British press had hyped them as the Second Coming, and America yawned. America loves British bands – Beatles, Stones, Bowie, et all. Parklife was a bit too culturally rooted in being “English”, that’s all.
And, as for British music being not “designed” to sell well in America, I say, fine. I agree that British music, on the whole, is more intelligent. And maybe Americans aren’t largely interested in that. But, lots of bands do very well here. Look at Coldplay & Radiohead. Would you deny that British bands want success in America very badly? Damon has become obsessed with the notion.
The problem in America, as I was trying to point out, is that there are hundreds of brilliant bands that Americans never hear on the radio. Not ALL Americans listen to Linkin Park or Fred Dirst… Still, you’ll never hear The Shins, The Flaming Lips, Pavement, or Apples in Stereo on American radio or MTV.
But, for those who want to listen to good music, it exists, en masse. And, don’t talk to me about “manufactured”- Britain is just as good at crafting sonic garbage… Spice Girls, Bush, and dare I say, Oasis, come to mind.
So chill out, read my post again. Realize that all I am saying is that I am an American, I don’t want to be anything else, and I don’t want to be lumped into some black-and-white “America is George Bush & Rap Metal” category. And, I love Blur, as an American, and I think the album is going to do very well on this side of the Atlantic.
The funny thing is, as I wrote that ridiculously childish retort, I keep wanting to find a way to profess love for the British people & their culture. Look at my favorite band list, and you’ll see that I love British music.
And I assure you, Alex, that there is a strong cult devoted to Tony Blair over here, by both the war-mongering Right, who like him for supporting us in war, and the on-the-fence Liberals like myself, who trust his words far more than our own President.
I have consciously decided not to post my thoughts about war in Iraq. But, I will say now, that I want it to proceed quickly and decisively. And, yes, I want us to complete the mission. That is the only way to get our American and British men and women home safe. I don’t agree with how we got into this conflict, but it is a reality that we must accept.
I’ve downloaded the album on Kazaa, just for curiosity.
i had to take a look on the album first, because i was so dissappointed with 13, that i thought I lost my money on it; eventhough i am a great fan of blur.
Think Tank sounds great and i’ll definetely buy it.
well, i have a copy too and i think its great. certainly better than the dry 13. describing it as a 21st century album is a very good term indeed. although i relate it closest to 1997`s blur, this is a very blur album with lots of catchy hooks and beats. i thought the idea of fatboy slim was a bad choice. it was a good choice and fatboy hasn`t done a total norman cook job over the tracks. certainly their most accomplised work even woth out graham.
Saw the ‘Blur Live in your Home’ special last night and I was pleasantly surprised.
I found it hard to conceive of a Blur without Graham, but what has emerged for me is that Damon - dismissed as the petulant pretty boy - is
a serious talent. He has great pop sensibilities. Actually, if it’s petulance you’re after, check out Graham’s last solo album. Another in the long
line of great British guitarists who lost the plot - Johnny Marr, John Squire, Bernard Butler. I shall buy the album.
Gorillaz might have been a ‘fun’ project, but artistically it was abysmal. Welcome back Blur.
WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! “13″ was SLAMMIN. It was an actual “album”- concept follow through from front to back. Too bad if blur doesn’t like it, it beat the pants of their previous eponymous album (which was good, but 13 was better).
P.S.- Alex wishes it was his war. And loves Mariah Cary. ;)
You’re nuts, Tony. “13″ was about running away from who you are. Too much was made of it’s “emotional” content. The writing was weak.
I, for one, am glad to see that Damon has returned to his song-writing roots.
hi to everybody! well i ‘ve sudmerged myself into the think tank and what i found was a very nice, straightforwarded and sonically interesting ensemble of melodies and lyrics marking maturity. Listening to the blur for many many years i must say i was expecting something like this. In some ways think tank is more rock and in others is less. Favourite track so far, on the way to the club… ride the desert baby yeah..
‘13′ was one of their best!! no argument!
i just dowloaded think tank and so far it sounds interesting..(especially the first three tracks)…i’ll definately buy it when it comes in may…
the absence of graham is sad but the album stands fine w/o him
and as an american…i agree with alex to some extent….however…not all of us favor the empty calorie pre packaged, full of preservatives bands like korn, linkin park, etc…generalizations are never a good thing
jm,
NO! Alex was making unfair generalizations. Mine were, I think, fair.
Someone from Britain stand up seriously and argue with my generalization that the British press over-hypes rock-in-roll bands. Go ahead, I encourage you. It’s simply true. Everyone from ELO, Stone Roses, and Oasis were the Second Coming of the Beatles. That’s unfair, though I love all three bands.
I will DROP the “mediocre” comment, because that was just catty and unnecessary. I apologize for that.
But, again, the record is exceptional, and it will grow on you with time.
Okay, I must agree with you that most British bands are over-hyped, but in no way are they overrated, leave that one up to American bands.
An exception however is Oasis, who are definately over hyped and without exception overrated.
(By the way I am not British.)
If anyone saw 120 minutes with Blur, (I guess it was this morning) Damon said that Graham will come back.
Cheers to wishfull thinking!
But I just think the hype is to get people to buy into their own culture. Stop the Americanization of the nations, you know.
I don’t think that anything I wrote was an unfair generalisation. Oasis’ general displeasure at having to crack America due to record company big bucks was obvious. They haven’t written a critcally good album since the first one anyway. The first stone roses album, is arguably, one of the best pop/indie ablums of all time. And if they had stayed together and had the inclination to follow it up then maybe they could have ‘cracked’ America. And to the guy who mewntioned the Smiths, I apologise.You seem to forget that english bands cannot be arsed with taking America - they have their money and years of touring through the culturally void midwest isn’t worth it.
As for over-hyped, it seems ironic that an American could even mention it. We have two credible music papers in the UK, who overplay everything - we take no notice of it so why should you? It’s like me saying that you all read the National Enquirer!?!?? And who said anything about E.L.O, jesus are you serious. One mention of that band rouses a collective laugh from this side of the atlantic.
And as for the regurgitated crap that is currently flooding our charts - most of it is American. Aguilera, Nelly to name a few. The americanisation of pop music began years ago, Nedward. I think that’s blatantly obvious to all concerned - including your music challenged self.
And before you start on the ‘we’re not all bushites’ rubbish. I don’t care, this is not political issue. If I remember, and correct me if I’m wrong, but we have little choice financially and politically but to follow your increasingly incredulous country to a war without end or reason. I do beleive America voted him in (well kind of).
Musically, bar a few underground acts - The Kills, The Apes (who, however good they sound now will only exist for two albums) America has no good popular music bar none - unless you include the self parody of Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Hip hop is the only thing america is any good at anymore and talentless bling satiristists like Nelly are slowly but surely destroying that. Realise nedward (if that is your real name - ha ha) that despite the odd straggler the majority of the world is disillusioned and bored with American music - we suffer it because we have to. Now i’m not saying that you are a Korn-fed/aguilera variety ned but unfortunately 95% of your country are. That’s not a generalisation (spelt with an s not a z) it’s just true.
Ok, everyone – Alex is a “wanker”, in the popular parlance of the United Kingdom. He is a wanker, because he doesn’t read what I write, and he makes HUGE incredulous generalizations, whilst criticizing me for doing the same.
I ponied up for overstating my point. But, if Alex needs to get all reactionary just because somebody in America was giving his opinion on some innocuous topic, then he clearly has some kind of inferiority complex.
In fact, his response reminds me a lot of these American war hawks who refuse to listen to any rational argument coming from the anti-war camp… who instead reply with things like “You’re either with us, or against us.” HA HA.
I DO know about music, American and British. And this country is COMPLETELY divided about Bush and war. And, if you want to dismiss the entire flyover region of my country, I invite you to do so. I do all the time.
Alex, stop the spat, grow up. I apologized… Except for that, you and I probably have more in common than you think.
Ah, come on Ned. There’s no need for expletives, I was all getting quite lively until you did that. Incidentally, i really like the way you capped up certain words - it adds power and passion to the words DO and COMPLETELY. Nice touch.
There’s no inferiority complex here at all. I merely said what the majority of Europe thinks about American music. Reviving the disco/punk scene of NewYork is no better than reviving beatles melodies. If you’re going to steal, steal from the pure source. It’s a simple premise.
The export of American ideals is not a new thing, nor is it confined to political ideals or branches of Burger King. Our own Top 40, once the envy of the majority of the world, is now nothing more than a roadshow for American ‘bands’. Now this, in turn, is squeezing other less established (see: European record labels) out of position. Now this is due to any measure of talent, it is due to U.S record industry might. It’s a shite state affairs Ned, no question.
Now I wasn’t going to mention the war again but you brought it up so i’ll carry on. If America is divided 50/50 on the Iraq war, why can New York only muster 1 million for an anti-war march? Smaller European countries (London 1.5m) managed more? Why is this? That is a piss-poor turnout for a country that is 50/50 on the war. The truth is ned, you represent a small minority of your country, that is predinominantly pro-war on many issues. Let’s face it, Iraq is predominantly a show war as revenge for Sept 11th. A flexing of muscles to show that the boys are back in town. It will backfire in such a big way for America. Remember bush is doing this in your name whether you like it or not).
America generally is arguably further right in the political spectrum than most countries (Don’t compare me to people like Paul Wolfowitz ? I would rather eat shotgun pellets doused in diesel than be him). The truth is that American companies SOLD (see that CAPS thing looks good) the stuff to him. The war is largely about control of the middle east for american interests, and surrounding. anti-american arab countries ie Syria to keep them in check. As a journalist, I can’t wait to cover the opening of the first Mcdonalads in Basra. A real triumph I beleive.
To sum up anti-US sentiment at the moment, a recent poll in France stated that 1 in 3 people wanted Saddam to win (I don’t agree). But I think that sums up the feeling in Europe at the moment. Scary.
Let me start out by saying i’ve downloaded Think Tank, and despite the downer of a review on allmusic.com, i’m quite impressed. Stand-out tracks right now are ambulance(outstanding track!) and sweet song.
As for the argument that has spawned, i’ll preface this by saying that the fact is, most of the music that has influenced me over the years and that i’ve grown up loving and still love, is British. Led Zeppelin got me into rock and roll and music in general. The Beatles, Sabbath, Billy Bragg, Deep Purple, Floyd, Bowie, and more recently Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, Blur, Radiohead(my all-time favourite band), and on and on…these bands are why i like music. But lets give America credit where credit is due(i’m Canadian, not a fan of american politics at all, but what the hell does that have to do with music??). After all, rock and roll was born in america. Everything i like about British music today owes itself to that. Jazz, blues, bluegrass, dixieland, these are all part of a rich musical history in the country. And there are plenty of american rock bands today that are more than worthwhile. Sure they tend to have a different overall sound and feeling than British rock, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good. The Strokes(ok, overhyped, but i still like ‘em), the Shins, Interpol, Grandaddy, the Lips(their latest album is a classic on par with anything i’ve heard out of britain, ever), and so on…That’s the beauty of music, different places give birth to different styles, and there’s ALWAYS good music to be found no matter where you are(even here in canada we’ve got a few good bands…check out the new pornographers, esthero, the gandharvas, godspeed you black emperor to name a couple…ok, i can’t think of any more, we’re a small country ok!), just keep an open mind :)
I love you guys.
What IS the song goes “why am I here, i’m here cause I got no fucking choice, and further more…”
If have no idea - probably EVERYONE else knows !
MY WHITE NOISE. It’s a hidden track at the end of the album.
Cool - ta, Nedward. It’s the best track on the album.
Alex, I realize (realise, I don’t know) There are strong feelings in europe about the war, and maybe sixty or seventy percent of america are passive, no thinking, slobs. However this does not change that fact that if I’m walking down the street in london, people are treating myself and intelligent friends of mine like we’re monsters before we can open our mouthes. How is that different from racism. I love Blur, and I don’t feel like there has to be competition between an excellent band like Blur and an American band like… well let me get back to you on that one. But I think we can all agree a lot of crap is produced by any country, unfortunately America is more streamlined to pass it on through to the top. I hope bad feelings can settle down between your country and ours, intelligent people in our country have always enjoyed the U.K. and the rest of europe to this point and we don’t prefer to be lumped with anyone within the confines of our border. It’s a big country, California could break off and be it’s own country and no one would notice.
Later,
Dan
Dan, Beck has been doing some good things lately, He’s got quite a range, and american.
Jeff
PS Love the blur album (sweet song is excellent)
After hearing the new Blur Think Tank, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. Then I realized it was serious - this is the new record. And it is LAUGHABLE. It is a TRAVESTY. I never would have imagined a band who put out so many masterpieces could suck this bad. Damon needs to stick to his monkey (er, gorilla) business. He killed the invaluable relationship with the group’s heart and soul, one Mr. Coxam. Then bringing in the bloated, over-produced knob-hobbling Fatboy Slim just cried for misteps. I was VERY willing to give the new line-up a go, so I didn’t make any judgements until I listened to every useless note on Think Tank (who’s title gets more ironic by the second; someone wasn’t thinking much this time about).
I will continue to embrace the sheer wonder of Blur’s early work, but with this new junk, I am going to warn my friends not to buy the new D. Albarn Band album.
To the art of yesteryear,
Brother Beaks
Wow!!! some heated debate going on between you guys…I agree with Alex almost 90%. Americans have adopted this strategy to dominate any field..be it music or politics and thats true. How surprising is it that Americans still havent found Saddam and Bin Ladin and yet they appear on TV every now then….wouldnt you people agree that American FBI can find even a cat if it gets lost in any city in the world. If you people have watched the Placebo interivew on MTV Europe…they mentioned that the American sattelite on which they shot their video “Bitter End” was used to monitor and radar the British broadcasting networks. Thats what America is. The war itself is a hype….a masacre of lives just to be politically strong. Where are we headed?? well I guess I’m getting too much political now but cant help it.
Well the argument over British bands Vs the American Bands….I belive music is not controlled by media be it American or British. The only good thing that has happened in the recent years is MTV 2, though I dont have it in my country but I’ve downloaded loads of videos and they have all been captured from MTV 2. To be very honest I have been a great great fan of British music for ex. Suede, Pulp, Blur, Radiohead and the list just goes on. It was until 3 months ago I discovered an entirely new genre Indie Rock. Its been around for years now but I didnt know about it until now. There are thousands of American Indie Rock bands that are undergound Gods but yet to be explored. The Flaming Lips, Pavement, Eels and so. I know they have sold records but how many…thats the question. They are not money hungry jerks who would make a record…get a 10 million dollar record deal and after the record sells million, they will have no problem living in a palace and let their children drive the expensive Ferraris and BMWs. Thats what music industry has become….a hype itself. Yet we need to explore and thats what we are doing. Take care everyone.
Chao
Zeeshan
wooops….made a mistake.
“music is not controlled by media”….it was supposed to be music IS controleld by media.
Zeeshan
Alright Alright. I think I am starting to understand the perspective here.
For those who assume there is an American conspiracy to rule the world, please remember that we have some of the strongest protections of free speech and personal liberty in the world — Europe included.
Of course, Mr. Bush is trying to dismantle them one-by-one, but I assure you that there are millions in this country that will fight to the end for American values both here and overseas.
I think there is a disconnect between the way we live at home, and the way our government behaves abroad… No question. Mr. Bush cannot tell the Governor of Massachusetts what to do, unlike in the parliamentary system. But, he is unchecked on the world stage.
There are millions in America who criticized the US for backing tyrants in Pakistan, Iraq and central America over the years. Where is the European public opinion concerning the European goverments’ patronage of these tyrants? I never hear anything about that from European media.
Mr. Chirac is distracting his people from the fact that his government and those previous invested billions of dollars in these regimes. And, he’d like to get some of it back.
WHY DO I ALLOW MYSELF TO GET DRAWN INTO THESE ARGUMENTS?
Think Tank is a brilliant album. It’s taken quite a few listens for me to get used to it, but I think it’s all finally sinking in. ‘Good Song’, for me, is the best song on the album - there’s just so much feeling in the vocals.
How the hell do I access the hidden track at the end? I’ve been trying for yonks.
back with a vengance then Ned. Nice to see that it has developed into a debate that everyone can join in. i admit I was a bit harsh about American music but when you compare the two, i still believe there is contest. As for saying that all music is inspired by blues, jazz etc, it is partly true but then you could say that Jazz musicians were influenced by classical composers - mozart etc. That conversation could go on forever.
As for the ‘War on Terror’, I am getting slightly fed up with your general consensus that Bush isn’t doing it in your name. He is, and will continue to do so, until you realise that he is Democratically elected to represent your interests. And in a way, he’s doing a damn good job. Unfortunately in the process, he is pissing every other remotely forward thinking nation off in the process. If you are starting to get flustered at anti-american sentiment in London now, i would get ready for a rough ride. There will be another 9/11 and it will kill more people, but this time it will make american officials like wolfowitz etc realise that this problem WILL NOT disappear. Some would suggest that you look to root of this problem - Aggressive foreign policy. As for Chirac, he made a stand, got sidelined by the US, and will be a guage for Anti-american sentiment forever. Financially he stood to benefit but then who doesn’t in this equation. At least he made the right decision. With democracy already flourishing, I’ve counted two retired american generals running Iraq already, regime change never looked so good. Roll on Syria. Bush is a fucking liability and Rumsfeld is a sorry excuse for an individual. America is getting a richly deserved wake up call. And also, if you’re all so opposed to it then get out and do something about, let baby bush realsie that the next election will be fought on his inability to live in the world. You all seem to forget that the UK was once a superpower invading nations for reasons of ‘democracy’. Look at it now.
Just to clarify, i certainly never said all music was inspired by blues and jazz ;) That being said, obviously influences go back to the stone age if you follow them long enough, probably starting with the music of nature itself being mimic’d by some apes :)
Now as for the American “indie” music vs. British music…i think because they are so different in feel, it’s very hard, or next to impossible to compare them. At least to my ears that is the case. Hence, i really don’t think one can be said to be objectively better than the other, it’s really all about taste. However, there is a point to be made which i’m probably not qualified to make, but let me throw it out there, perhaps someone(Alex?) could shed some light on it. It seems to me that as far as “chart” music goes, the British probably have better taste. There isn’t too much good rock/music in general on the American charts that is worth a damn. I think taste is driven by society, and when your society prays to the corporate god as much as America(and Canada) does, you end up with corporate music filling the airwaves. I’m not sure how different it is in Britain though.
As for the war thing, i think you’re absolutely right Alex, Bush is fucking up bad. Real bad. And it will likely bite not him, but his country, in the ass long after his presidency is over unless it is rectified. However, the comment about the americans who don’t support him being powerless has merit. Britain went right along with the US despite public dissapproval and demonstrations. Apart from voting against such leaders in the following election, what can one REALLY do on an individual level?(this isn’t a rhetorical question, any insight would be welcome)
I’m not anyway qualified to talk about the protest thing but lobbying your MP, or American equivalent, is the best thing to do. protesting in the streets. Large, organised peaceful protests make governments shit themselves. Violent protest backs their point up. That the left is just a bunch of unruly, scruffy students The labour party here officially shat itself when 1 million people marched through london… Whatever has happened in Iraq, if Bush decides that he’s going to Syria, you just watch Blair disappear. It is political suicide for him.
I think it was Ned’s inability to grasp that generally, America is much further right than most western countries and the price will be paid. Not for a year or so, but in the future.
At this precise moment in time, i think British chart music has much more taste than America’s. But it is being Americanised by the day. That is what pisses english people off about America, not anything else.
Can American’s please realise that they are REPRESENTED by their government. I’d be pretty pissed if I was American now. Turn off propaganda stations like FOX and start supporting that are trying to do the right thing… mags like adbusters, I work for a mag in england called Dazed and Confused, they recently pritned an anti war issue… doing stuff like that I reckon? Sorry, that soudned liek a sales pitch, it wasn’t meant to be…
That Brother Breaks dude posted exactly the same post on another site. Literally cut and paste…
Not my place to judge tho’.
Dear Ned,
I haven’t had a chance to check this recently but I’m a little disappointed that you haven’t replied. Just a quick one your point about why there is no coverage of European patronage of rogue states. YOU ARE WRONG. If it wasn’t for a liberal, free thinking media in Europe with papers like the Guardian etc we wouldn’t having this conversation, because the world be run by people like Murdoch and whoever the fuck owns every station in the U.S. Fucking hell ned, for a “25 year old Web Professional” you sure talk some bollocks.
As far as I can see, the US has Michael Moore as their sole respresentative on planet earth. The rest of the media sold out years ago… adbreaks every 5 minutes make sure of it. I realise that irony is not an american strongpoint, but do you understand? Watching american ‘news’ is like watching an advertorial. I mean only in the US can you put a banner headline called ‘War on Saddam’ that was hastily changed from ‘War on Iraq’ when a phonecall came into Fox from dubya. Don’t you get it? It’s no use being a 25 year old web professional when you fail to grasp that morally, the US is rotten to the core. It has to be to make the amount of money it makes.
As for your protection of speech, most countries have that anyway. But theydon’t bang on about it as though it’s something they invented. And the current plan to medicate clinically unstable death row convicts in Texas in order to execute them kind of throws your ‘freedom’ slightly out of the water.
Ned, you’re so out of your depth it’s unbeleiveable. Having just read your posts earlier, it’s you making the generalisations not me. I apologise to everyone else that has to read this, but it’s ignorant twats like this, making ignorant, ill concieved comments on their own websites that is everything that’s wrong with the world. I strongly suggest that you take your cod-liberal, ‘I recycle’ judgements and shove them up yo’ ass. (see i’m street too)
Later, loser.
Alex, let me bullet these points out for you, on the off chance that you’d actually read what I say:
A) Murdoch is British.
B) I love reading the Guardian.
C) Liberal-thinking people should refrain from reactionary name-calling. Douche-bag.
D) I’ve repeatedly said that I agree with much of what you say… while you’ve not given an inch.
E) Not all Liberals want Michael Moore speaking for them… he’s like a Rush Limbaugh for the Left.
F) America did invent free speech (including freedom of the press), though our Bill of Rights builds on it’s English predecessor.
G) If I’m so ignorant, enlighten me – what’s your education? I have a B.A. in History and Political Science from Boston University… It’s not Harvard, for sure, but I doubt you learned those scrappy rhetorical skills at Oxford.
H) I’ve been ironical since before it was fashionable. You’re the one being all serious………
H) Why the fuck are we talking about this shit, when I didn’t even bring it up??? I want to talk about the new Blur album being kick-ass. ok?
Close. Murdoch’s Australian, which is like being British only with slightly better teeth and a predilection for thievery.
hahahah. thanks for the correction. but is Alex a fuckup or what? He must be writing on his computer-hour at the mental hospital.
Watch it Noddy / Neddy, whatever, that’s the sub-editor of Dazed and Confused you’re talking about there. Not some American random who produces a website dedicated to his own opinions.
Now I’m not taking sides here, but its quite apparent that this whole argument has developed from not listening to each other, and both having opinions that you want the other person to refute, so you can call them bigoted and ill-informed.
You’re both well informed, and though you have the facts and figures, you haven’t experienced each other’s situations at all so this argument has degenerated into name-calling.
I doubt that makes sense, but I was out late yesterday watching a band called Hot Hot Heat who are Canadian and fucking rock. They were supported also by Har Mar Superstar who is always good for a laugh. This is the kind of music people should be getting behind, new music that deserves the attention, whether its British, American or anything else.
My interest in Think Tank lies mainly in the artwork, produced by Banksy, as I haven’t yet heard much of the album. I’m sure it’ll be quite interesting to listen to, but won’t stand out much.
Olly, nice lap dog you make. Alex is as much a journalist as President Bush is eloquent.
Reading some American music magazine reviews, THINK TANK got some good reviews:
Rolling Stone: 4 stars
Spin: A
And they both say practically the same thing I did… that Blur is different without Graham Coxon, but that Damon is the essential part of the band, and the record doesn’t suffer without Coxon’s input.
But, go see for yourself. The album comes out tomorrow, May 6.
gives
a
fuck
I think Blur needs needs a restraining order issued against their instruments after this album. In fact, it is so horrible the next one should be free. I can’t get into it.
The tides between the UK and US roll between each other every 7-10 years. In the early 90’s it was grunge. Mid-late 90s it was rock/pop blur, oasis, etc. Now it is the White Stripes, Interpol, etc.
I can’t say enough about the art direction by Banksy. Truly top notch.
And, in the special edition CD, we’re treated to pages and pages of Damon’s amateurish doodles and lyric sheets. Fascinating – especially “Sweet Song”, which has some more personal lines (about Graham?) that weren’t used in the final lyric.
More positive press clippings:
Guardian reviews Blur LIVE at the Astoria, London: 5 Stars
Time Magazine’s review:
“The opening track, Ambulance ? which would sit easily on David Bowie’s Low ? begins with a declaration: “I ain’t got nothing to be scared of.” And Albarn does seem musically fearless. Think Tank is often experimental but never jarring, mixing synth and acoustic picking.”
New York Newsday on “Think Tank”:
“‘Think Tank’ is Blur’s best album since its debut ‘Leisure,’ brimming with new ideas and bundles of energy tempered by Albarn’s growing musical knowledge.”
The BBC raves:
“Would Think Tank be any good? …the answer is yes. Think Tank… sounds utterly confident, sure-footed, and, in some ways, defiant. “
Melbourne Herald Sun gets catty (which I don’t condone):
“Not being on “Think Tank” is Coxon’s loss. Albarn hasn’t had to point out it’s Blur’s best album; the media are doing it for him.”
but graham wasn’t on crazy beat…..so i would apologise to your girlfriend if i were you :p
Easy for you to say, now… heh… :-D
I was just guessing, on my ear. It appears, I was wrong about that.
I’M LISTENING….I GOT NO A OPINION YET…BUT I LIKE IT….IT SOUNDS STRANGE…
AMBULANCE IS A JEWEL
BUT IN A FEW MONTHS…..I’LL SAY EXACTLY WHAT I WANNA SAY
Thanks Ned, all’s fine in the mental institution. Don’t get daylight much but the food’s great, well it is ever since they took my teeth out so I can’t chew it. I caught the bullet points, and although I’m sure you know what letter comes after H, let me point it out again. It’s I. As in, ‘I tire of your pointless sabre rattling.’
It’s obviously been pointed out that Murdoch’s australian, and lives in the US mainly due to restrictions of cross media ownership. Not a problem in the US. And why should “Liberal” people refrain from reactionary name-calling? As for free speech, you were the first to ‘Write it down’ not invent it. And you read the Guardian, wow it’s like a regular left wing party over there isn’t it. Bar the morals, of course. And if you are so pissed at this discussion why are you bothering to reply, and you crack me up the way you always put ‘Why do i always enter into these dicussions’ like some bemused comedian. Nobody’s listening chief.
As for the university stuff, no idea what you mean really. I didn’t get my degree at Oxford or Cambridge, it has made little difference to my life so far. But i’ll keep you posted. I don’t think i have to point out that some of the most dangerous people in the world have been educated at oxford, harvard, etc… And sorry to point this out but if you dedicate a website to your views, don’t get tetchy when people reply with their own opinion. Or just take the site off the web all together. Either way, everyone’s happy.
I do read your posts ned, the problem is they’re invariably bollocks.
Now that’s what Freedom of Speech is… Dufus.
just stumbled across this page, and to be honest, was quite impressed by what i’ve seen. what started off as a few haphazard comments about a good album has sparked into quite an interesting conversation, which is, let’s face it, far more interesting.
i am a brit, and whilst currently despising the american foreign policy and the attitudes and arrogance of the US establishment, i do not feel it is fair to hold all americans responsible. tony blair is not exactly a statesman to be proud of, seeing as he is simply a war-mongering, pandering lap-dog to bush. he may be rather more eloquent, but perhaps this serves only to make him more dangerous.
i also have to point out that at first i was a little disappointed by the turnout for the NY demonstration, i then realised upon further thought that the main reason for this is that whilst america is much larger country (both in population and area) it is far more sparsely populated. in the uk people travelled from the north and southwest to take part, but remember that england is the same size as new york state, so a comparison is not really valid.
i imagine that there is mass apathy in the US, but the same exists here (look at the turnout of the last local elections!).
onto the music thing, i feel that it is wrong to accuse americans of just turning out shit bands such as limp bizkit et al, when there is a thriving underground of interesting artists and projects, just as there is here in the uk. most american material in the charts is, indeed, shit, but all the good stuff is available to buy over here. all this suggests is that it is the record buying public that have no taste when they rush out to buy slipknot albums in their thousands, but sonic youth and tortoise LPs can only limp into the top 100 if they’re lucky.
i work for a small but very well respected independent label in london who receive rave reviews across the world, but still struggle to sell a couple of thousand albums (aside from our last release which did rather well).
perhaps who we should be blaming is the playlisters at radio 1 and co, who program shit all day long, and hence ensure the charts are packed with the same banal crap. sure, we have bastions of hope like mr peel (and resonance fm, but let’s face it, how many people listen to it). i don’t feel it’s fair to blame a nation for shoddy musical output, when the only reason it’s popular here is because it is the UK residents who are buying it. to be fair, much of the UK’s exported music is pretty damned embarrassing (robbie williams, coldplay, oasis, the stereo-fucking phonics…i could go on for days).
anyway, besides all that, on the way to the club is think tank’s stand out track.
cheers
olli
One question. Why are the british charts so polluted with manufactured rubbish produced in Britain? Answer: to compete with the manufactured rubbish produced in America produced for our charts. It’s all very well being diplomatic olli, but as we’ve seen recently… diplomacy gets you nowhere. We are second in the chain of consumption when it comes to American pop music. We represent a critical milestone rather than a sales one. But all the same, major US bands/singers are flooded into the British market and it affects young talent here. No question.
Unfortunately Olli, I think America has a lot to answer for. An outwardly aggressive, arrogant policy to toward foreign states should be responded to with aggressive, arrogant arguments against. What was left of a left wing in America has died on its arse largely due to the apathy and wetness. The facts stand that the right wing has a much better PR machine than the left. It’s market forces and ideals that are the centre of modern politics now ? and America is definitely to blame for that. As for the turnouts at marches, it’s a geographical ideal but it doesn’t ring true morally. It was just a shit turnout.
Yeh, we are a lap dog to Bush. We have little choice. Increasingly indecisive about Europe, needing military protection we have nowhere else to turn. You could see in Blair’s eyes he knew Iraq was the wrong move… but what could he do? You saw the threat of sanctions against France after GW2. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. The only reason I got pissed with little Neddy here is because he’s arguments are flawed and frankly pretty naive.
So If you want to call me ‘reactionary’ toward america at the moment then fine. I think they deserve it. And I mean that as a country… wholesale. Vote him out and do something useful or shut up. And stop pretending that he didn’t win 60 odd percent of the vote. the president is your ambassador to the world - you do the maths.
As for music, you’re british olli. Deep down you agree with me even if you can’t admit it in type… ha ha…
I seriously dig Blur’s new album. Anyway, I saw them at the Las Vegas show and it was fantastic! What a great experience!
Have bought every Blur album ever but really pissed as my computer is my music centre, are the band and the record company that stupid they don?t realize that buy selling albums that wont play on cd drives the fans will be retuning albums to shops and never buying anything from the band again. I personally always buy music rather than download cause i like the artwork, lyrics etc and to lazy to learn how to dl it. However if as it appears there is no way for me to play this album on my comp, the album is going back to the shop and from now on illegal DL”s for all my blur needs. Great job on alienating fans and turning what could be the album which gives you the mainstream success in America you pretend not to want(despite the tours) instead into the album that will lose you loyal fans that have been with you from the start. Did the fact about one in four people now use their comp as music centre and that many of these people myself included no longer own a stereo/hifl system or can afford to own one not cross their minds?, not even a message on cover like wont play on cd drives… plus the 3 minute film you get instead of the album when played on comp absolutely SUCKS…..ahh that?s better had to get that out. If I am wrong and the album can be played on comp and I am doing something wrong somebody please let me know but I don?t think this is the case
Found this site when looking for info on blur cd problem must say Alex/Ned spat is great to read at 4am stoned. Anyway here is my badly written pennies worth (Alex note I am pointing out my bad grammar and punctuation now before you do) which reminds me one of the main reasons for my poor English is that it should not be my natural language but it is because your country while ruling my country Ireland imprisoned and murdered people for speaking or learning their native tongue Gaelic. So climb done of your high horse as England committed unspeakable atrocities for the cause of empire (Ireland and India are examples any third party reader can easily find out about) but most English people don?t know it or do not want to acknowledge it and still talk about the good old days of the glorious empire ha-ha. This mentality still exists today in relation to Northern Ireland Bloody Sunday and the recent BBC Panorama show about collusion between British army and Loyalist murder gangs murdering innocent people are examples of this. Anyway went a bit off track there but that seems to be the norm here. Back on the subject of the US debate going on I have a good understanding of both sides as I am from Alex?s side of the pond but currently living in Boston Massachusetts. The statement above was done to prove a point that it is very easy to blame an individual in this case Ned for the actions of a leader of their country, using Alex?s logic Alex is responsible for what his country has done and continues to do in my land so if Alex wants to know what Ned is doing about Bush then equally I want to know what he is doing about above. So while I agree totally with Alex on Iraq, American foreign policy and imposing ones culture on others, he should remember the saying people in glasshouses. To correct an earlier ignorant post bush actually did not get 60% of the vote as claimed and actually got less votes than gore. The reasons he is in power are as follows. The Electoral College system that gives states with more cows than people same power as metropolis states like NY or California. plus a misguided Jewish backlash in Florida against Clinton/Gore Israeli policies which made the crucial difference and a right wing majority on the supreme court which cemented him in power. While on the subject of ignorance, American politicians where referred to as their MP equivalents, umm a non ignorant person would know members off US upper parliament are called congressmen. However I find all of what Alex says about American media true and the average American needs to realize that the likes of Murdoch?s fox news are just right wing propaganda in the same vein as Iraqi state TV and that journalists are not supposed to tell the news with a slant but from a third party perspective giving unbiased coverage off all sides opinions and then should let the people decide for themselves good examples of this being the BBC and Canal +. This neutral reporting is missing in USA and has been since America licked its wounds after Vietnam and was badly missing during build up to Iraq especially in Un/France spat where they fed the public the untrue view France was pro Saddam forgetting they where first to commit troops in first Iraq war and in action in Afghanistan. In reality France just trusted their intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction more than Americas as France has a high Arab population and had done a better job at infiltrating Iraqi system. I however think Ned knows this and would like his fellow countrymen to as well so abusing him wont solve ignorance on this issue and general American ignorance on world issues and their role in the world, plus because people believe what they see on the news average Joe Bloggs in US does not realize they are being misled with c span being the only neutral war coverage we had here. If more Americans knew they where not always getting the full story and that American stations where trying to hard to be more patriotic than their competitors at expense of fair reporting you would see a different outlook on things as I have seen in my flat mates here who watch the BBC news on internet with me every night. So blame the right wing silent take over off power here not the people who don?t realize it has happened and just be grateful for being lucky enough to have the independently minded BBC who set the benchmark for fair broadcasting in Britain without them Alex I fear our side off the waters media would slide to the right to and you would not be able to get all worked up as you also would lack knowledge of world affairs and other cultures like so many here?..more to say but off to bed hope Alex understands better why people here have views they have and hope Ned and other Americans can see thought the fog and take back their media and government from far far right and big business interests where major companies like Monsanto, oil companies and arms manufacturers basically get to decide policy in return for bank ruling election campaigns usually to the detriment of ordinary Americans, the world and the planet we live on?..(before anyone points it out the first part of post the blur rant has been cut and pasted into blur official website as well
nismokeysean, that has to be the funniest thing I have read in a long time – i wish more stoned people at 4am would comment on politics, culture, and media…
at least you understand the difference between an individual and a government – especially when the individual is doing his best in the opposition.
As I said, I probably agreed with a lot of what Alex said, except for his irrational anti-American tirades.
Why should I have to be ashamed of being American? Who gets to decide what “American” means, anyway? I’d rather define my own meaning of the word, and I don’t want Mr. Bush speaking for me.
Northern Ireland is surely whole new world of shit though. Started by the british and then, funded by, er, those crazy Yanks! (they get everywhere) As for the empire building of GB, that was dare I say quite a few years ago. And not that I condone it, but things were slightly different then Sean. You know, about the same time the Death Penalty was still legal in the UK, and still is in the US! I took a disliking to Ed because of his psuedo-academic ramblings that have given friends I’ve told about it quite a laugh. My point in all of these quotes was: It is about time that they realised the amount of anti-US sentiment that has been created in the rest of the world. And Ned’s reasoning that “Bush doesn’t speak for me” frankly doesn’t wash. Tony Blair speaks for me because he’s the face of Great Britain in terms of politics. I might not agree but he’s democratically elected. The amount of pain, anguish and let’s face it… death they’re causing in the name of Western ideals. They have opened up possibly one of the worst conflicts in an already demolished region, and caused one of the biggest political inquiries in british political history since Profumo. They’ve split the U.N, ignored NATo, offended China, ditched Kyoto, passed legislation to drill for oil in protected land in the North, kept numerous people in Guantanamo Bay without trial or explanation, reignited the Israel/palestine fued, opened the first Burger King in Bagdhad airport, ignored the plight in Liberia (cos let’s face it, there’s no fucking oil there), installed a comedic, puppet government in Iraq, completely screwed the policing process in Iraq… I mean the list is endless. Ignore what I say, just look at the facts. They’re all true. And now, after all that, there’s talk of re-electing the twat. Suckahs for punishment?