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Post by dillwyn on Nov 7, 2016 9:55:48 GMT
The last month has been hugely busy for me (as will the next few) so i haven't been able to really spend time reviewing or commenting .... please do not take that as opinion of the choices rather my lack of time. Jim kindly reminded me to pull my finger out and put some up....
4 songs by Blur ...what characterises these for me is the use of video to support their already excellent song writing. a more modern day take on kinks and bowie i'd be interested to see what the panel says. In the uk these got very popular not sure about the rest of the planet.
a pavement sounding track ..Song2
Parklife...not one of my favourites but a good insight into his Ray Davies style of writing.
Charmless /man
The Universal
crib list song2 parklife charmless man The universal
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Post by jrmugz on Nov 8, 2016 0:02:09 GMT
Looking forward to checking them out dillwyn!
Jim
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Post by Platypus on Nov 8, 2016 12:50:36 GMT
I am interested to be pointed to some Blur songs! I enjoy Gorillaz, but had no particular impression of Blur, nor had I been motivated to check them out. I guess it says something about Damon's skill that there's only one brief spot at the start of Charmless Man where I hear 2D (Damon's lead singer character in Gorillaz) in these songs. This is very different to someone like Jeff, who always sounds like Jeff.
Videos can play a big part in Gorillaz songs, and yes, it seems to be so with these Blur songs too. Particularly with The Universal where the video underscores the song with a narrative that fleshes out the lyrics considerably.
01. Song 2 - Woo hoo! This song had me playing Jazz Jackrabbit again, and that must be a good thing... Fun song, and it's short so you can play it again.
02. Parklife - Quintessentially British with everything in its place, a great satire on a planned society, with its brightly colored plastic life being interrupted with Minder-esque quirkiness.
03. Charmless Man - Comment on the futility of turd-polishing? The sub-plot the video implies to me is the guy who has "themed" his life (education, dress, social contacts & influence) to announce that he has arrived. Now he's finding the theme (the band) that plays as he goes about living, keeps announcing his falsity, shallowness and lack of genuine charm and grace. He tries to ignore this, push it away and run from it, but can't escape from the fact that the way he's living his life always brings it to light.
Just as an oddity, I suspect the Na-na bit of this song is what inspired the theme for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's program The Gruen Transfer. (youtube.com/watch?v=qPHdbrx87B4)
04. The Universal - I think the video is quite influential on how people will view this enigmatic song, not that it really helps define exactly what the song is about... Things that we'd miss by not seeing the video would include the subtitled conversation between the inquirer and the "red" man. I find the song speaks to me of media manipulation ("though the words are wrong"), and this is illustrated by that scene where because we can't hear the conversation, we rely on the printed subtitle to understand the subject, but the words seem to be different to what the characters actually say (assuming they speak English).
Anyway, enough rambling and speculation, thanks for those dillwyn, I might listen to a little more Blur in the future!
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Post by dillwyn on Nov 8, 2016 13:30:58 GMT
Thanks for that Platypus Very interesting i had thought of Gorillaz as a side project but financially it really isn't the case. Blur's worldwide sales(11 albums - 15M) have been 2M less than Gorillaz (4 albums - 17M) i had wrongly assumed Blur would have been far greater especially with them celebrating their 21st anniversary recently.
there is a very good greatest hits album which shows how diverse they are. if ever you get a chance to watch them live i would seriously consider it. I saw them at a small venue in Bath they were excellent for a 4 piece.
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Post by jrmugz on Nov 14, 2016 3:14:25 GMT
Hey dillwyn, I didn't forget to check these out, just pulled in a lot of directions, will aim to in the next few days. Chippa , up to you if wanted to throw up a few for your week here, otherwise, np, just reminding you that were marked for tentative for this week. Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Nov 15, 2016 21:45:22 GMT
OK, here is my take on the songs by Blur: "Song 2" - Not really my style of music; but short and to the point, serves the genre well. Reminds me of "Vertigo" by U2. "Parklife" - Definitely a good tribute to Ray Davies, like you say. A little more accessible than the first song, they seem to have their hooks down. The chorus is actually very good. "Charmless Man" - Like the previous song, engaging with good hooks. "The Universal" - Decent, but doesn't do a lot for me, though it did grow on me a little bit. Star Rating: 3.8 out of 5 Prime cuts: "Park Life", "Charmless Man" Bottom Line: In general, the songs keep the listener captivated and engaged, when they are good they are good! Easy to follow, and good hooks. I like the music; the band members seem to come off as maybe a tad creepy in the videos, though, IMHO. Thanks dillwyn; overall good stuff, enjoyed playing them. If you are marked down for another turn this year, I will remind you as the time approaches! Jim
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Post by unomusette on Nov 20, 2016 20:33:30 GMT
I wouldn't say I'm a massive Blur fan but I do like their Kinks-alike lyrics and jolly general attitude. Song 2 has a nice meaty bass sound and I like the contrast between quiet-ish and loud. Parklife is simply peerless and cannot be criticised, it's quirky and clever and uniquely British. The video is the icing on the cake, brilliant! Charmless Man probably suffers coming straight after Parklife, it's not as good but still 7 or so out of 10 and quite a good video. The Universal does least for me but it's saved slightly by the interesting video. Thanks for sharing, dillwyn
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