Blur Modern Life is Rubbish (SBK) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
Blur’s 1991 debut, “Leisure,” was intermittantly pleasurable, if highly derivative, heavily reliant on the then-ubiquitous groovy dance beat popularized by Manchester bands like Happy Mondays. Nothing on it prepares the listener for the adventurousness of “Modern Life is Rubbish,” a swirling, intoxicating song cycle that enriches superior popcraft with wiggy studio experiments. Tunes like “Colin Zeal” (“Looks at his watch, he’s on time again/He’s pleased with himself, so pleased with himself”) are reminiscent of Ray Davies in his late-’60s social critic’s role, a la “David Watts.” Blur underscores its evocative songwriting with sonic playfulness that incorporates everything from cellos to typewriter bells-and a long line of British eccentrics, from Syd Barrett to Julian Cope, welcome its newest member.
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