This time last year, the four members of Blur had no plans to make an album together anytime soon. Then they heard that they might have a chance to play Wembley Stadium this summer. “You can’t ...

Blur was always a quintessential CD-era band, and even its best albums were a little longer than they needed to be. At 36 minutes, however, The Ballad of Darren is by far the shortest album of the ...

The Ballad of Darren feels purposeful, however, and is without question the best Blur album since 13. Like The Magic Whip, Blur's ninth album was born of unique circumstances.

This week in the Basement: reviews of new albums from Spoon, Ride's Andy Bell, Trentemøller and Baxter Dury, plus 25th anniversary retrospectives on Pavement's 'Brighten the Corners' and Blur's ...

10 best Blur singles ranked: classics remembered ahead of new album It's a nigh-impossible task, but we've ranked the band's best singles ahead of their first album in 12 years.

3) Blur (1997) 1997 was a key year for the UK music scene. The Britpop bubble burst, popped by Radiohead’s 'Ok Computer'. Everyone was predicting casualties – namely Oasis, Pulp and Blur.

8. Leisure (1991) Blur had a great run in the ‘90s, but it kicked off the decade inauspiciously with a debut album that was nakedly derivative of late ‘80s trends.

BLUR – “Best of” + Live CD This should be fantastic. Its not. Poorly thought through and ill conceived, this cash in is one of the worst ideas in recent times. Forsaking and largely ignoring the ...

The live CD is far more interesting. Pristine, anaemic, superbly recorded, totally unrepresentative of the actual gig itself ,designed to plug a £100 box set of singles, which was a folly at the best ...

Blur is easily among the best bands to come out of the '90s Britpop scene. Borrowing from their influences (a teaspoon Stone Roses, a healthy dose of the Kinks, a dab of the Beatles, and a ...

Blur’s best album would not have “Magic America” on it, or “Dan Abnormal,” or “Theme From Retro.” These guys are aimless jammers and willfully tuneless when they loosen up.

"The Magic Whip," Blur's first album in 12 years, is the sound of the guys - Albarn, Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree - re-embracing each other musically.