Even in a world where rock albums never top the charts and music critics claim that rock is dead, new releases still frequently appear that prove these sentiments a bit out of touch. One great example of this is Blur’s The Ballad of Darren, an unexpected summer record following a hiatus for the acclaimed English band. Here is why you need to stream the return of Blur right away.
Blur and Damon Albarn, Past and Present
A revelation in the ’90s, something of an oddity by the 2000s, and fondly remembered but effectively extinct by the 2010s, Blur introduced the genius of Damon Albarn to the world. After cementing their legacy with the 1994 Britpop masterpiece Parklife and their later stylistic break into alternative rock charts with the 1997 single “Song 2,” Blur disbanded in 2004 due to creative divisions splintering the members apart. Infrequent regroups led to The Magic Whip (2015) and The Ballad of Darren, their only two releases during Albarn’s move into focusing on solo records, collaborations, and, most famously, the band Gorillaz.
Understated Brilliance in The Ballad of Darren
While Albarn infused the last Blur albums of the original run with expanded styles like hip-hop, his later project Gorillaz demonstrated his most evident movement away from the good old-fashioned indie rock that guided Blur’s primary ethos. Thankfully, the return to collaborating with his bandmates comes not from a nostalgic rehashing of the glory days but a calmer, more reflective treatment of Albarn’s layered lyrics and iconic singing instead. Though certainly not an unfathomable approach within the genre (Arctic Monkeys have done it for two albums now), the dynamic work within the cohesion and emotionally gripping performances of The Ballad of Darren put it atop that pile of stylistic toning down in old indie rock bands.
The pervading emotion guiding The Ballad of Darren is melancholy, making sure it never announces its greatness even when the arrangement of a track perfectly uplifts Albarn into a soaring climactic moment. Albarn and co. are so committed to their new code of conduct here that it will work as a detriment to some listeners; there is not something for everyone on this new record, and it is easy to imagine that diehard Blur or Gorillaz fans might feel alienated once again. However, those who followed Albarn through his last solo album will not see this as a surprise but as another flavor that has resulted in the best work of his recent project, and even the uninitiated may find its best moments as moving and even profound. “The Narcissist” is one of the select tracks that stands on its own for indie rock listeners of any level.
Final Verdicts on New Blur
Despite the album’s subtleties, most will listen to The Ballad of Darren front-to-back easily with an honest try, as even the deluxe edition is shorter than any other Blur album. Even without being as overwhelmingly great as the new Foo Fighters album or the first LP of the supergroup boygenius, The Ballad of Darren has become a critical favorite and garnered deserving attention from listeners around the world. Tracks like “St. Charles Square” that shake things up just enough will keep even the most impatient listeners on their toes, showing that the whole group still has something vital left to say even if they might never top the best work of their career.
The Ballad of Darren is streaming now wherever you listen to music.