Advantages: Their most innovative album yet Disadvantages: Sometimes cross the line between creative and crap
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 ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Blur Go In Search Of Pastures New. Disadvantages: Unfortunately They Hit Upon Foot And Mouth Ocasionally.
...selling album, never quite managed.
13 continues on the same thread deployed by the ‘Blur’ album and offers an enjoyably eclectic listen. It's yank leanings are obvious with titles like 'Trailerpark' adding to the American feel. There are mountain top highs every few songs but the weaker tracks veer far too close to the murky waters of the canyon below. There is an off-kilter lounge music backdrop to a lot of the album, thanks in no ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: New and different Disadvantages: Some people don't like 'new and different'
...buy it? If you wanted 13 new versions of 'Song 2' or 'Girls And Boys' the answer is a definite "NO!". If however you'd rather listen to your heroes taking dramatic musical turns or you'd like to hear a technically gifted band let loose, then off you go to the record store. Of course technical ability does not always a good album make (see Celine Dion, Pink Floyd etc.). So if you like a bit of trippy ambient, weird music, then this is for you. And ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: All amazing start to end. Disadvantages: none
Haunting, upsetting, moving. 13 is a quite amazing album. Produced by William Orbit it is in my view Blurs best album so far. Obviously it is an experimental album which will not please some people that prefer the "Parklife" stuff but even they will enjoy the soft tones of "Tender" and the catchy "Coffee & TV". "B.L.U.R.E.M.I." is a crazy manic track, while "Trimm Trabb" starts as mellow little number which ends up a fantastic crazy trip. Completley ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: SOME really impressive stuff Disadvantages: Maybe a different style was not good for them
...this albums consists of basically 13 songs hence the name, 4 of these songs are pretty well known :
Tender
Bugman
Coffee + TV
and
No Ditance Left To Run, the rest are a change in style of song writing work for Blur,
unlike their older hits Parklife and Chamless Man.
Blur have changed for this Album maybe they've matured.
But this album is definetly only for the bigger fans of the band,
for the others the change may be too big for their ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: It's Blur! Coffee & TV Disadvantages: Dark, very long
On this, Blur's sixth album we have a continuation of and development of the sound of some of the songs from 5th album Blur. There are still the classic pop moments that we have come to expect from Blur, but I think that they may have learnt from the days of Britpop that you can't always keep everyone happy. Rather than bang out an album that's a carbon copy of Parklife again (some bands have got a lot of mileage out of reproducing there old work) ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
13 tracks and 66 minutes long. It includes the singles: 'Tender', 'Coffee and TV', and 'No Distance Left to Run'.
You have the choice of the normal album or the Limited Edition Box Set (which isn't really that limited - I think they produced something like 100,000 copies). I have the box set which is a bit more expensive and doesn't fit on my CD rack!. The extra bits on it include track by track comments from the band, a full discography, exclusive ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: rocky Disadvantages: not too many good songs
Blur’s album entitled 13 is their fifth album release by them; it includes the classic rock / punk song Song 2 which ironically is placed on the albums second track. Other songs like Beetlebug and On Your Own are also found on this album, which were released as singles and made a noticeable impression on the charts. The album is quite hard and rock indie styled so this might not appeal to everybody’s taste, otherwise if you do like hard rock indie ...
Read review
...not afraid to progress. With 13 Blur have well and truly moved away from their Britpop origins and produced a fantastic new and more experimental album.
Guitarist, Graham Coxon's is likely to have had a much bigger influence on this album than any other and can be heard most notably in songs like "B.L.U.R.E.M.I.", "Bugman", "Swamp Song" and "Trimm Trabb". Coxon also shares the vocal responsibilities on the single "Coffee and TV".
However, their ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Huge contrast between songs Disadvantages: Few weak songs
And today Blur are sporting a lovely prog rock album, with a dazzling gospel choir, sublime death metal and beautiful ballads, all for a price of £10.
Well thank God it isn't their cockney/knees up muvva brown outfit from the 'Great Escape' album.
Because Blur consistantly change their style in music they are the unsung heroes of the 90's music scene. Long ago did they grow out of their baggy trousers and their bowl haircuts of their Leisure era ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Can Blur keep changing its style yet still keep a familiarity there which makes all fans feel at home? Well this is a fantastic surprise from the last album Blur. A mixture of headbanging tunes, sublime gospel orientated warblings and painful, life-changing heartbreak. Oh, how i can feel Damons pain towards his split with long term girlfriend Justine Frischman of Elastica. At least thats what it sounds like. Tender is a great track, it spurns a wanting ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: experimental Disadvantages: a bit inconsistent
"13" is the sixth album that Blur have released and certainly marks a new era for the band who are much more experimental on this album than any of their previous releases. "Tender" and "Coffee and TV" are the obvious single tracks, and (almost) proved themselves in the charts. The other single release to date is the brilliant "No Distance Left to Run" but it didn't get much air play, maybe being just a bit too real for a pop hungry world. Personally ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great Chilling Out Music Disadvantages: Perhaps Album And Songs Not Long Enough
This album is just full of a wide range of songs and is probably Blur's most experimental to date. You've got the serious in Tender, to the Punk in B.L.U.R.E.M.I, to the heavy experimental guitaring on Bugman. Here's the playlist:
1. Tender
2. Bugman
3. Coffee & TV
4. Swamp Song
5. 1992
6. B.L.U.R.E.M.I
7. Battle
8. Mellow Song
9. Trailerpark
10. Caramel
11. Trimm Trabb
12. No Distance Left To Run
13. Optigan 1
Highlights ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great individual songs Disadvantages: Tracks do not follow on
...albums need classics, Tender helps 13 on its way.
Bugman- Too caught up in electronica seemingly to concentrate on making a good song and in my opinion is wrecked rather than helped by the rather odd background music.
Coffee and TV- another classic. In my opinion it isn't quite as good as Tender but it has got another very good tune with great lyrics.
Swamp Song- tends to go back to the strange background music of Bugman but with it being less ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Groundbreaking change of direction Disadvantages: Not for fans of mainstream pop
A truly brilliant album. When the previous album 'Blur' was released, fans sensed a slight change of direction, but this album consolidates this change and takes blur to new heights, with their most experimental and less mainstream work so far, from the calm and mellow Tender to the fuzz distortion of Bugman. This album also sees the first single release where the lead guitarist Graham Coxon takes to the microphone and borrows the lead vocals from ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
13 - Blur
It all begins with a music-box noise, not entirely unlike the beginning of Trumpton (you
... more
know, the kids' programme with the curiously named firemen). Welcome to yet another new identity for Blur. Gone are the caricatures of bed-and-breakfast owners and...
13
Blur: Damon Albarn (vocals, keyboards); Graham Coxon (guitar); Alex James (bass); Dave
... more
Rowntree (drums).Additional personnel includes: Jason Cox (drums); The London Community Gospel Choir.Engineers: John Smith, Jason Cox, William Orbit.13 marks Blur hi...
| 
