Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
It had been a few years since anyone had heard the Britpop kings pithy, jangly approach to songwriting.
Its in the howling solo tearing the jangly Coffee & TV apart and in thehabitsandmisdeedsoff the record.
Of course the new Blur album almost didnt happen.
The same is true of the last one and the one before that.
Theyre the traditional rockers in a collection that delivers a healthy serving of the ballads it advertises.
Elsewhere,Darrenprefers to splash around in gorgeous arrangements and slower pacing.
We have lost the feeling that we thought wed never lose, the second track laments.
I know I cant change the times, The Ballad concedes.
I am cut to pieces, Far Away Island exhales darkly.
And I am dancing alone with the moon.
Its around Island that the albums paddle begins to feel like a plod.
That experiment took time, and this band didnt have years to workshop material.
