The Great Escape Blur Artist

In the simplest terms, {|The Great Escape|} is the flip side of {|Parklife|}. Where {|Blur|}'s breakthrough album was a celebration of the working class, drawing on {|British pop|} from the '60s and reaching through the '80s, {|The Great Escape|} con... Read more

In the simplest terms, {|The Great Escape|} is the flip side of {|Parklife|}. Where {|Blur|}'s breakthrough album was a celebration of the working class, drawing on {|British pop|} from the '60s and reaching through the '80s, {|The Great Escape|} concentrates on the suburbs, featuring a cast of characters all trying to cope with the numbing pressures of modern life. Consequently, it's darker than {|Parklife|}, even if the melancholia is hidden underneath the crisp production and catchy melodies. Even the bright, infectious numbers on {|The Great Escape|} have gloomy subtexts, whether it's the disillusioned millionaire of {|Country House|} and the sycophant of {|Charmless Man|} or the bleak loneliness of {|Globe Alone|} and {|Entertain Me.|} Naturally, the slower numbers are even more despairing, with the acoustic {|Best Days,|} the lush, sweeping strings of {|The Universal,|} and the stark, moving {|electronic|} {|ballad|} {|Yuko & Hiro|} ranking as the most affecting work {|Blur|} has ever recorded. However, none of this makes {|The Great Escape|} a burden or a difficult album. The music bristles with invention throughout, as {|Blur|} delves deeper into experimentation with synthesizers, horns, and strings; guitarist {|Graham Coxon|} twists out unusual chords and lead lines, and {|Damon Albarn|} spits out unexpected lyrical couplets filled with wit and venomous intelligence in each song. But {|Blur|}'s most remarkable accomplishment is that it can reference the past -- the {|Scott Walker|} homage of {|The Universal,|} the {|Terry Hall|}/{|Fun Boy Three|} cop on {|Top Man,|} the skittish, {|XTC|}-flavored {|pop|} of {|It Could Be You,|} and {|Albarn|}'s devotion to {|Ray Davies|} -- while still moving forward, creating a vibrant, invigorating record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less