13 - Blur > Reviews > Short and to the point, well not really

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Their most innovative album yet
Disadvantages:	Sometimes cross the line between creative and crap

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It's hard to believe from hearing the album '13' that only two albums before, Blur were writing songs about living in a house (a very big house) in the country, and were being, seemingly, a pop band completely unashamed of themselves. Then came their eponymous fourth album, which saw Blur take a direction towards a darker, edgier sound. But '13' is dark to the extent of becoming completely unlistenable in places. It is Blur's 'Kid A' - their attempt at trying to shrug off, once and for all, their happy, lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek schoolboy image as kings of Britpop.

Having said that, '13' isn't quite as intensely experimental as Radiohead's aforementioned title. Listening to the album you will actually find *songs*, which cannot really be said of 'Kid A'. You will also find some quite accessible music. However, nothing sounds cheerful anymore. This album was written under the influence of Albarn's recent split-up with Justine Frischman of Elastica, and the general tone of the album emphasizes this. Listening to the album you feel that this is very much a self-indulgent I-don't care-if-you-buy-this-or-not-because-nothing-really-matters-anymore kind of record - the type which would completely alienate most of their fan base, but also, the type that would attract many listeners who thought that their previous material was rubbish.

Be warned. This is not a record that you can put on and you love it the first time. It could take you several listens to really get into that zone where you can identify with what the band members are feeling. A track-by-track description I feel will not give a full picture of what each song does. I will do my best, but my suggestion is that you listen to the album, even if you do decide at the end that it is meaningless noise (and a lot of it is, if I was being really nasty).

1. TENDER - I admit, it is only recently that I have grown to like this track. At first, the track seemed rather pedestrian, and (in my opinion anyway) an odd choice to use as the first single. However, this song is somewhat of a slow-burner (it took two years for me to appreciate it fully). The gospel touches give the track quite an uplifting feel, but the track does go on for a little too long. Good, but not a Blur classic.

2. BUGMAN - This one comes as quite a shock after the fairly conventional previous track. Distorted, fuzzy guitars start the track. Albarn sings a couple of bizarre verses, then the track descends into (meaningless) distortion and noise. Is that a Dyson I hear in the background? The song then restarts under a different guitar riff, then gradually fades into distortion again, with Albarn singing "Space is the race" over and over. Very strange, but at the same time, very exciting. One of the highlights of the album.

3. COFFEE AND TV - This goes back into slightly more conventional Blur territory (i.e. guitars dominate), although the vocals belong to Graham Coxon, not Albarn. Coxon's albeit less than brilliant vocals add a melancholy element to the song, and this track is one of the best on the album. Apparently, this song was originally not going to be released as a single because Coxon didn't want to step in the limelight. But considering 'Bugman' was the other option, this was definitely the better choice. 'Bugman', although a great track, wouldn't have sounded right on its own.

4. SWAMP SONG - Another change in direction here. Initial distortion makes way for a rather unusual guitar riff. Albarn starts screeching some abstract lyrics (again) but maybe that's because the song appears to be about drugs. The track is seriously twisted, and this is emphasized by the rather strange screaming noises Albarn seems to be making at the end. Interesting.

5. 1992 - A persistent, depressing guitar line is prominent throughout this song. Albarn only sings for the first two minutes, and then the song once again descends into a load of guitar feedback and distortion, although in this case, it seems to intensify the solemn mood until you almost can't take it any more. Maybe that was the band's point, in which case it is a work of genius. Otherwise it is rubbish. I'd like to think it was the former.

6. B.L.U.R.E.M.I. - This song seems to try to hard to be the strange, slightly demented brother of 'Song 2' . Like Song 2, it has a heavy guitar line, like Song 2 it is only two minutes long, but the vocals in this track are vocodered almost beyond recognition, to such a point that the letters B-L-U-R-E-M-I sound almost like a duck quacking. Honest. And it's not much better than it sounds.

7. BATTLE - The best track on the album. This is the first time you really notice the production by William Orbit, and it is incredible on this track. A slightly spooky riff begins the song, and is complemented by some truly dark percussion. When the fuzzy guitars hit you after two and a half minutes, you somehow realize how good the rest of the album really is. The only thing that spoils this track slightly is Albarn's vocals, whose whining in some places adds an inappropriate comical edge to the song.

There seems to be a bonus instrumental track hidden at the end of this song which is unneeded, to be honest.

8. MELLOW SONG - This track is slightly reminiscent of some of Gomez's work. Starts off fairly unassumingly, with Albarn singing on top of an acoustic guitar, but breaks into another distorted instrumental. Doesn't try to be a standout track, but is still a satisfying diversion from the dark, previous track.

9. TRAILER PARK - Have I mentioned that most of the songs on this album seem to be about his ex-girlfriend in some way? Well, this is when I first really noticed it. This song has Albarn singing, "I lost my girl to the Rolling Stones," over some muzak. I'd like to say that it sounds better than it looks on paper, but again it's not - that is, until it breaks into a rather good guitar riff four minutes into the song. Maybe this song is better than I thought. No, because it's now the end of the song. Unsatisfactory.

10. CARAMEL - Yes, another song about his ex-girlfriend. This one's rather good, though. Albarn seems desperate to get his feelings to end in this dirge, laden with some dark organs. The William Orbit production is more obvious in this song as well, and the instrumental section at the end of the song is helped greatly by Orbit-style techno effects. the funereal organ riff dominates throughout the track, and it also compliments the overall solemn style present in the song.

11. TRIMM TRABB - This appeared at first to me to be a replica of 'Mellow Song', but it is definitely not a mellow song by any means. The guitars in the song become heavier, fuzzier, and more distorted, and although it is not one of the best songs on the album, it is definitely one of the better results.

12. NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN - Come on, not another song about Justine, please? This track seems to be about Albarn giving up. The tone in places seems almost sarcastic, when Albarn sings "Hope you're with someone who makes you feel safe in your sleep". Although the lyrical content is better than has been seen in most of the songs on this album, this does not compensate enough for the snail's pace at which the track moves. It is not edgy. It is not clever. It is slightly boring.

13. OPTIGAN 1 - What can I say? This is, in my opinion, a terrible way to end the album. It doesn't fit in with the album. It isn't relevant to anything. Why is it there?

So OK, four poor songs. But that still leaves nine good ones, some of which are quite brilliant. During this review, I have lost count of the number of times I have mentioned distortion. Yes, there is a lot of it in this album, and if you are a more conservative music lover, you probably won't like '13'. There must be quite an art to making distortion sound good, but somehow, Blur have done it. Perhaps it wasn't intentional. Perhaps Blur were trying to make a f*ck-off type of album - so experimental it becomes unlistenable. And in some places, their experimentation does grate. Some of it does sound rubbish. And the hidden extra tracks are pretty pointless on the whole. But some of it is pure brilliance, and to be honest, I feel that this is more Orbit's influence than Blur's.

Having said that, some of the album's greatest moments come not from Orbit, but from the raw energy that Blur seem to expel at times. Coxon's guitar work, in particular, is incredible. It manages to be extremely exciting without sounding immature, yet still possesses a quality bordering on, but not quite being, unlistenable. And that what makes him such a great guitarist.

Yes, this is a very good album, generally. But this album has not spawned any classics. If you ask someone to name a Blur song, they will probably name 'Parklife', 'Song 2', and possibly 'Country House'. They probably won't name 'Tender' or 'Coffee and TV'. While the content of '13' is clever, perhaps it has been too clever, because underneath all the production and distortion, there lack any memorable tunes or songs - there are no real classics. It didn't disappoint me too much, but it will disappoint many traditional Blur fans. And this lack of anything to remember the album by in years to come is possibly my biggest criticism of it.