The opening riff “Lonesome Street” is like a declaration. First the sirens, then the guitar blast hits you and suddenly it is 1994 again. Well, not exactly, but this is as close to a statement that we are going to get from the band that it has embraced its past sound while still moving forward.
Where the opening track is perhaps a look back the third song “Go Out” sounds very much like a song from Blur’s future. Loud and fuzzy guitars matched with the electronics in a sonic pastiche that somehow works.
The Magic Whip is Blur’s first album in 12 years. Previously Think Tank was…. well, guitarist Graham Coxon had left the band and that left frontman and songwriter Damon Alburn to completely indulge his new musical explorations without any counterbalance. Inspired by his work on Gorillaz, Alburn sort of seemed to have forgotten how to make music for two guitars, bass & drums, and Coxon wasn’t around to remind him. Thankfully the band is fully back together – as is their sound.
“I Broadcast” sounds like something that would have fit right in on the band’s previous album as a four-piece, 13. Prime Blur – essentially taking the “britpop” sound and expanding it.
The basic tracks were recorded in Hong Kong during a period when the band had a few extra days on their hands. This was in May of 2013. A little over a year later Coxon went back and revisited the tracks. Alburn then returned to Hong Kong to work out the lyrics.
Perhaps one of the best things about The Magic Whip is the return of producer Stephen Street. Street produced the band’s first five albums, and I am sure that his ear helped to bring the band back to their more basic rock roots and tempered the more experimental sonic musings that Alburn can be prone to.
The Magic Whip isn’t a perfect album, but it sounds a heck of a lot more like a Blur album than Think Tank does. I have two problems with The Magic Whip, neither of which are that big. First is the lack of “hit single” type songs. This isn’t to say the songs are bad or mediocre, but none of them sound like they belong on the radio. As an album this works most effectively, I like listening to albums as a whole. It might take a few more listens for there to be any standout tracks.
My second issue with the album is the final two songs. “Ong Ong” is the penultimate track and “Mirrorball” the final. They should have been switched. I understand thematically “Mirrorball” is a better closer, but “Ong Ong” has a much better ending and effectively closes out the album. It is a small issue and I know that I am probably the only one that thinks of these things.
I like this record. I have talked about Blur before, but not too much at length. If you have been paying attention or read previous posts you know that I am a fan of the band, but I am also not blindly loyal either. As I type this I’m trying to listen to Think Tank again and it is distracting me because I am not enjoying it. The Magic Whip, however, is highly listenable and bears up under repeat playing.