Blur - The Ballad of Darren

Rock – Released July 21, 2023 – 10 songs, 36 mins

LUNDI

Just six months ago, this weeks band was never on my radar. Nowadays they’re on the permanent rotation of personal favourites. I like to think I’m making up for lost time. After over eight years on the sidelines, the Britpop sensations Blur are back with their ninth studio album The Ballard of Darren. Simply fan service? Perhaps too little too late for a reunion? Or do the boys from London still have what it takes? 

This isn’t my first crack at Blur. You can see a detailed breakdown of the band along with my beautiful face on our Instagram page. If that didn’t convince you, not much I can say here will. If that did convince you, not much really changes from what I said. Graham Coxon’s guitar work is still magic, Alex James continues to lay feverishly spunky bass lines, and David Rowntree holds the band together on the drum kit with ease. Musically Blur sound as pure and in sync as ever. Now not to take anything away from the former three but Damon Albarn is what really makes The Ballad of Darren special. You could certainly make the case this is always true for Blur. Albarn just has that ‘it’ factor. Exudes confidence and bravado with a distinct unique vocal to lead the way. On Darren however the front man’s writing is truly next level. It’s a wonderful display of the human emotion that comes with getting older. 

Nostalgia can be a drug. Most often used in terms of happy memories, ones you share with old friends over a pint. But Albarn takes the cliche and pivots on that idea to offer up insight on how the feeling of looking back, even on the greatest of lives, can be extremely painful. This feeling is all too real to Damon as he reflects on failed relationships due to his own decisions, his life as a Brit pop punk, and internal grief with his long time bandmates. Muttering the line “I fucked up” to open St. Charles Square puts his feeling simply. All the glitz and glamour in the world don’t matter in the end, it’s the impression you made on others that lasts. This sentiment is what truly elevates this album as it fuelled the entire process in the first place. Blur found their roots and their friendships in reflection, writing and composing music together in the same room for the first time this century. What resulted is ultimately sad but so poetically beautiful that it’s hard not to smile at their accomplishment. 

Darren is a beautiful eulogy to Blur, written by Blur. The band reflect on how great of a career they’ve had, the friendships they’ve developed, and the moments of greatness they’ve shared. I won’t sit here and pretend I know the ins and outs of all the great 70’s and 80’s bands but Blur do something on The Ballard of Darren that I’ve never seen. They say goodbye on their own terms with all originating members there to happily contribute. How often do we see the great bands go up in flames due to turmoil (Oasis, The Beatles, Pink Floyd) or worse yet never get a proper send off due to death (Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Depeche Mode, Rolling Stones)? Hell even when bands figure out their best is in the past and reunite (RHCP, Blink 182, Guns n Roses) the family type feeling never really returns. Blur accomplish something so uniquely beautiful with their perceived ride off into the sunset. They always operated on their own terms and for their final act they take a bow to a standing ovation worth their arms wrapped around each other. 

The Ballad of Darren find Blur at an emotional reflection point in their career. Finding peace with their mistakes and looking inward to celebrate their achievements. It might not be their best, but it sure feels like their last. An emotional and enjoyable goodbye from one of music’s best. 

Overall Rating: 8.0/10

Favourite Song: Barbaric 

REID

It was late November of last year when the lineup for Primavera Sound 2023 was released. Amongst the headliners was Britpop sensations, Blur. Other than a few tunes from their earlier years, the TSR crew didn’t know their music well but were optimistic after watching a few Youtube performances.

Since then, we’ve had a healthy injection of the band as Lundi did a deep dive into their discography and loaded up the pre-festival playlist with their hits. In March we reviewed the album Cracker Island, by Damon Albern’s side project, Gorillaz. And surprise! Two weeks before the big weekend, Blur made headlines with the announcement of their ninth studio album, coupled with the release of catchy single, The Narcissist. This quickly landed on our to-review list and added to the setlist and performance of an excellent show in Barcelona. It’s safe to say we’ve gone from zero to sixty on these guys.

Really listening to old school, popular bands you haven’t before is always an interesting exercise. Oftentimes you’re starting from scratch, eliminating the ever-sweet nostalgia from lifelong fans in the process. The TSR album swap on episode 9 of the podcast is a fun case study and Lundi’s mini review of Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy is a good example. While he enjoyed it overall, he questioned its true appeal as a top record of the 90’s, citing Vedder’s voice as turn off. Subjectively, he may never fully enjoy their sound and he wouldn’t be the first. But smash mouthing an album or discography without consideration of the world at that time or the societal impacts can be a disservice to the artwork.

(Where are you going with this, Stephen?)

After months of exposure to Blur, I can say I appreciate and respect their music more than I enjoy it. It’s daringly different. Albern is a creative son of a gun and they’re an uber talented group of musicians. They beat to their drum and that’s an admirable trait in the music industry. But their ever-changing style never truly clicked to make me a huge fan. With that said, this subjectivity is devoid of their cultural impacts and it’s a critical part of the puzzle.

All that leads us to The Ballad of Darren. I felt this quote from Avalon accurately sums up the album’s lyrics:

What’s the point in building Avalon,

If you can’t be happy when it’s done.

Damon’s message from start to finish is consistent. The rock star life led him down a lavish but tumultuous road resulting in the destruction of meaningful relationships along the way. His tail is between his legs but he’s not begging for forgiveness as he’s reached a level of acceptance with his transgressions. Most of the record is on the slow and softer side to match its theme but the band does a good job maintaining intrigue simply with its beautiful musical arrangements. The strings are sprinkled masterfully throughout but are particularly special in The Ballad. The quirky guitar solo in Russian Strings stands out as another highlight but the overall ambiance on the album, paired with Damon’s distinct voice and the band’s vocal harmonies is a pleasure.

While this instalment of Blur is insightful, reflective and regretful of the past, it doesn’t always feel that way. The three hits Barbaric, The Narcissist, St. Charles Square and are feel-good, pop rock at its finest. The first two are amongst my favourite of 2023 and the third has the swagger Albarn is known for with excellent, catchy guitar riffs. After The Narcissist, the album closes with four slow songs in a row, ultimately fizzling out after a great start.

On The Ballad of Darren, Blur created an insightful and reflective record with three pop rock jams to keep it fluid and fun. Their first album in eight years is worth a listen.

Overall Rating: 7.6/10

Favourite Song: Barbaric

ROZ

The name of this week’s band sets fire to a fuse in my mind, and just like that I am transported back to the explosion of lights, sights and sounds that permeated my body on day one of the Primavera Music Festival. The band Blur is on stage - a band that I am not thoroughly acquainted with other than my familiarity with their radio hits and frontman Damon Albarn's side project Gorillaz. That’s not to say that Blur is any less famous, quite the contrary - even more so, as their legendary body of work could be compared to that of their legendary brit-pop contemporary Oasis. Suddenly the year is 2023, and Blur is not only rocking the stage at a major international music festival but is also releasing brand new music. That album is The Ballad of Darren, and Too Sweet Reviews has it firmly in their sights.

The Ballad of Darren finds itself leaving heavily into sessions of sincerity and somberness, which is highlighted in tracks such as The Ballad, Russian Strings and The Everglades (For Leonard). Melodic piano chord structures, vocal harmonies and the pitter patter of David Rowntree’s drumming can be marked as the common thread on these slower arrangements. While the moments are fleeting, Graham Coxon’s abilities on the lead guitar steal the show when the opportunity arises (such as his performance throughout the faster paced St. Charles Square). When the band takes it upon themselves to kick it up a notch, the results are tremendous; lead single The Narcissist has all of the makings of a modern ear-worm as Albarn’s ability to navigate a catchy chorus finds its home among his fellow compatriots’ massive talents. A more laid back rock approach is shown on Barbaric, perhaps the catchiest of the entire track list and the one that happens to be my personal favorite of the entire album.

Although it starts off quite strong, The Ballad of Darren slowly but steadily loses its steam throughout the back half of its run time, with tracks Goodbye Albert and Avalon being the main offenders and primary catalysts for this dip in quality. With that being said, Albarn gives a fantastic performance overall on the album (barring the overly grating nature and borderline parody seen on Avalon) while his band mates, all together once again, put on a stellar showing as well. When The Ballad of Darren’s first single The Narcissist hit the airwaves in mid May, I was happy to hear how good it was. A new album after a long hiatus and reunion on the other hand? It would have been understandable to be cautious on approach. Luckily, The Ballad of Darren is more than just a nostalgia project. Blur’s ninth studio album is full of quality jams, proving that Damon Albarn and the rest of Blur are back in the game for all the right reasons.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Favourite Song: Barbaric